Host consolidate their position on top of WTC 2025

Veteran all-rounders Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared nine wickets among themselves in India’s convincing  280 run win over Bangladesh on Day four of the first Test match that was played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.  The visitors, resuming on their overnight score of 158 for 4 managed to add 84 runs before being bundled out for 234 in the first session of day four itself.

The Rohit Sharma led Indian side in the process retained the top spot of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 cycle with 71.67% percentage points after being rewarded 12 crucial WTC points for their efforts. 

Meanwhile Bangladesh's loss after having whitewashed Asian rival Pakistan 2-0 saw them pushed down to sixth in the standings, holding a percentage of 39.29%, trailing behind Sri Lanka and England.

Off spinner Ashwin (6/88) made the best of home conditions to snare six wickets while Jadeja (3/58) took three which included the rival skipper and top scorer Najmul Hossain Shanto  (82).  Ashwin  (113) who had been in thick of proceedings from second session of day one and had registered his sixth Text century in the company of Jadeja (86) later bagged his 37^th five wicket haul, and drew parity with his role model and ace leg spinner Shane Warne to  do so. He was appropriately named the Man of the Match for his exploits.

Earlier Indian top order batter Shubman Gill unbeaten 119 and wicket keeper batter Rishabh Pant counterattacking 109, during their enterprising fourth wicket partnership of 167 enabled skipper Rohit declare India’s second innings at 287 for 4 post lunch for an overall lead on day three. In response Bangladesh managed to wipe off 158 runs while losing four wickets in the process, before bad light forced the Umpires on field to call play earlier.

An emotional Ravichandran  Ashwin, who was named the Player of the Match post the contest said” "Every time I play in Chennai, it’s an incredible experience for me. I’ve spent so many hours in those stands watching Test cricket and international matches. I’m probably enjoying my game now because of what I’m doing on the field. It was a chance to fight hard and dig deep. I kept things simple and I’m grateful to Jadeja for his support. It was a special innings, though it didn’t really hit me until the second day. My main job is bowling—that’s how I make a living. Batting, on the other hand, just comes naturally to me."

Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh Skipper said “ Would like to concentrate on the positives.  Commendable bowling efforts from Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, and Nahid Rana in the first innings. India batted well and their seamers contributed, especially with the new ball. Like we bowled in the first innings, We need momentum and keep delivering such performances consistently. As a Batter, my focus is on contributing by staying at the crease as long as possible without overthinking the result, which is key to the team's overall strategy."

An elated Rohit Sharma, India Skipper on the other hand said, "It was a fantastic outcome considering what lies ahead for us. Even though we've been away from playing for a while, you're never truly away from cricket. We arrived a week in advance, aiming for the result we wanted. Pant has been terrific. He’s gone through some tough phases, and the way he handled himself was incredible to watch. After returning in the IPL, followed by a strong World Cup, he’s back in his favorite format. The key was to give him enough game time, and credit to him, he made an immediate impact. Regardless of conditions, we aim to build our team around that approach. Over the past few years, wherever we’ve played, we’ve ensured we had this as part of our strategy. Full credit to the players for stepping up when needed. The red-soil pitch always presents something unique, requiring patience. This was a surface where we needed to be patient with both bat and ball to keep them under pressure. Ash has been there throughout. He’s consistently reliable with both the ball and bat. Every time he’s involved, it’s a joy to watch—he’s never out of the game. He also enjoyed his time batting in the TNPL."

Brief scores (Ist  Test) : India - 376 all out (Ravichandran Ashwin 113, Ravindra Jadeja 86, Yashasvi Jaiswal 56, Rishabh Pant 39; Hasan Mahmud 5/83, Taskin Ahmed 3/55) & 287/4 decl (Shubman Gill 119*, Rishabh Pant 109, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 2/103, Nahid Rana 1/21) beat Bangladesh - 149 all out (Jasprit Bumrah 4/50) & 234 all out (Overnight 158/4 ) (Najmul Hossain Shanto 82, Shadman Islam 35, Zakir Hasan 33; Ravichandran Ashwin 6/88,  Ravindra Jadeja 3/58, Jasprit Bumrah 1/24)) by 280 runs. Player of the Match: Ravichandran Ashwin (India)

Photo Cover : Shubman Gill and wicket keeper batter Rishabh Pant both hit contrasting centuries in the second innings on Day 3 to lay the foundation for India’s win

Photo Above : An all-round effort by Ravichandran Ashwin (2^nd from Left) saw him win the Player of the Match award at his home ground (Photos courtesy BCCI)