Well it was India in the end who walked away with a victory against an ever rising Bangladesh team after crushing the hosts by 113 runs at Chittagong. Though good for any winning team, my question is how far can that victory be relished if true spirits of the game of cricket is concerned? India had to wait until the end of the fifth day of the test match to finalize its win over Bangladesh. India needed the same age old player in Sachin Tendulkar to register a win the the mentioned test. India played Bangladesh the way there are at present expected to play some team like South Africa or Australia.
India was found putting a better performance against stronger teams like the ones mentioned above. Is it due to the fact that they were playing Bangladesh that India took the opposition lightly or was it the over confidence that they had won all their test series' last year that India had to gasp for victory? India, taking into account its number one position in test cricket, had to walk away with an innings win in the Chittagong test that didn't happen. India had a lead of just 1 run in their first innings which speaks for itself about the rating team India is found enjoying.
If Sachin Tendulkar's and Virender Sehwag's score out of the lot is deducted, India's team total would read just 86 runs, that included 13 extras as well. There were two bowlers who picked up 5 wickets each (Shahadat Hossain and Sakib Ali Hasan) and the best part being that they belonged to the Bangladesh team, against which any team can take any sorts of risk. Bangladesh is one such team in international cricket against which any captain (may be West Indies & Zimbabwe barred) need not think twice in imposing a follow on. And India makes the match against the same Bangladesh a memorable won by winning it on the last day.
It was the same India a couple or years back who had drawn a test match against Bangladesh at the same venue, when India ended their first innings scoring 387 runs on board, out of which Ganguly scored 100 and Tendulkar scored 101. It was the match where India succumbed to 100/6 before declaring the second innings. That match finally ended in a draw as mentioned, with the man of the match being given to Mashrafe Mortazaof Bangladesh for his 79 runs in the first innings. However, newspapers blame it on the rain that ended India's fortunes in that game, which is totally not supported by the scorecard. Scorecard suggests that rain had come to India's rescue.
Finally, it would not be a tough call regarding the second test against Bangladesh to be played at Dhaka a couple of days later. But, India's performance in the Chittagong test would once again remind India's rating in test cricket, where at present is at number 1 by hooks or crooks.
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