We want to build the team around our bowling: Rohit Sharma

Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are two bowlers who would walk into the playing XI of most sides in world cricket, but both bowlers, who can be considered x-factor players, were left out of the starting XI by India for the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.

The move spoke volumes about team India’s strength in the bowling department as they still fielded a ridiculously strong bowling line-up, with Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj all present. The fifth bowler in the side, Akash Deep, entered the game with a bowling average of 23.00 in first-class cricket.

As it turned out, a clinical performance outside an early wobble on Day 1 meant that India registered a crushing 280-run victory.

Historically, Indian cricket has always been synonymous with strong batting, but in the aftermath of the first Test, skipper Rohit Sharma made it clear that going forward, across conditions, India will build the side around their bowling.

“No matter what the conditions are, we want to build the team around our strong bowling line-up,” Rohit said after the game.

“In the last few years, wherever we have played, we have managed to have that in the armoury. You have to give credit to the bowlers, they want to put their hand up everywhere.”

India's victory in the first Test was a solid team effort, but the clash belonged to two individuals who stole the show.

The first was Rishabh Pant, who, playing his first Test in 635 days, picked up from right where he left in 2022, smashing a stunning century in the second innings to mark his comeback. 

Rohit, a very good friend of Pant, was full of praise for the 26-year-old's determination to get back to the top after what he went through.

“He's been through some really tough times. The way he has managed himself has been superb to watch,” Rohit said of Pant.

“He's done well in the IPL and the World Cup, and this is the format he loves the most. We always knew what he can do with the bat, our focus was to give him game time. He did that in the Duleep trophy and now here.”

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The second was Ravichandran Ashwin, who, in his hometown, shattered multiple records. On the fourth day, Ashwin became the oldest ever Indian to pick a five-wicket haul in Tests and bowled the side to victory by taking 6/88, his 37th five-wicket haul in Tests. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (67) now has more fifers than Ashwin.

Rohit couldn’t stop lavishing praise on the 38-year-old. “He's always there for us with the ball and bat. Every time we see him, it's always beautiful. He's never out of the game,” Rohit said of Ashwin.

Losing skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, meanwhile, admitted that Bangladesh’s batting was not up to the mark but was full of praise for the showing of the bowlers. “The positive thing is the way Hasan, Taskin and Rana bowled in the first 2-3 hours, really impressive,” Shanto said.

“After that, they [India] batted really well. Seaming option - everyone contributed. The way we bowled with the new ball, it's impressive. The last couple of series we have bowled really well but we have to continue that.”

The Bangladesh skipper hoped for the batters to come to the party in the second Test. “Bowlers did a great job, I hope the batters will do something special,” Shanto signed off.

The second Test of the series will be played at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur from September 27 onwards.

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