‘Hasan knows his craft’

After their dominance in Pakistan, Bangladesh pacers held their own in the first two sessions of the first Test against India in Chennai today. Pacer Hasan Mahmud was in the heart of it, picking four of the six wickets to fall after Bangladesh had opted to field at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

A resurgent Bangladesh pace attack is not a sight that India fans or journalists are used to. Hasan's foray against the Indian batting lineup, especially the way the right-arm seamer picked up the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, did not go unnoticed in the press box. That it comes after a recent fifer in Pakistan did not limit the extent of the wonder of watching a Bangladesh pace attack on fire.

Sunandan Lele, a freelance journalist from India pointed out that the wickets in themselves did not come from unforced errors.

"I watched him closely in the 2023 World Cup not only the India game but other Bangladesh matches as well. What I noticed is that he knows his craft, his plus points, and his limitations. He doesn't cross his limits. He knows he has decent pace but not a nippy one. He got that lovely outswinger for a right-hander and it's his strength and his line is immaculate. He can persist on that line for a long time and that is the key to his success," Lele told The Daily Star.

Lele found something significant in the mode of dismissals too.

"I'm totally impressed with his bowling even today because all the batters he got out were caught behind the wicket. No mistimed hooks or shots. Two priced wickets of Rohit and Virat so what more can you expect?" Sunandan added.

"He has a simple action and that's why he can bowl longer spells. Less friction in run-up and right-arm action. Otherwise, you can create pressure but it will take a lot of fizz out of you.

"I'm seeing this three-pronged pace attack after a very long time and for the very first time for Bangladesh as far as I am concerned. That is magic because unless you have a good pace attack, you can't step up during the Test matches," he added on the trio of Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, and Nahid Rana.

"I think Bangladesh can now do well going forward in Tests. You have to know that in the first innings, pacers always come into play," he added.

Former reporter for Wisden India and now a freelance journalist Kaushik Ramakrishnan said that Hasan used the conditions well.

"He might have been a bit nervous in his first over but once he found his radar, it was different and he also got good pace and cut the ball at good control.

"There was help in the conditions but the important thing was not to get carried away because where he comes from the subcontinent, you don't get these conditions. I think he bowled really nicely and the wickets are very well deserved," he said.

Hasan got four wickets so far and one shy of a famous fifer in Indian soil at the time of filing this report. If he can continue on the trajectory, he has the mettle to stand out in red-ball cricket.