It was a candy first for Ok.L. Rahul as he captained India to victory for the primary time in Tests within the opening match towards Bangladesh right here. The margin of victory, 188 runs, was complete, nevertheless it didn’t come straightforward, for the house facet put up a spirited battle within the second innings.
“You are never going to get a win that is easy,” stated Rahul, who had additionally led within the Johannesburg Test in January towards South Africa that India misplaced. “We have played enough cricket to understand that there will be phases when the opposition plays well and we need to respect that.
“I am very proud that throughout the Test our energy and intensity were really high. We hadn’t played Test cricket for a while and there was a worry coming in about how the bodies would react… spending so much time in the park while maintaining our intensity and focus. We did that really well and that’s very pleasing.”
Bowling Bangladesh out for 150 within the first innings was key, felt Rahul. “It gave us a lot of time. If Bangladesh had got 300, 350 this game was headed to a draw. We would have tried to make a game out of it, but it would have been hard. Getting them out early in the first innings really set us up.”
The 30-year-old felt it was a near-complete efficiency. “There are areas where we can improve, but I’ll take the win. Everyone performed and did their jobs. Kuldeep [Yadav] and [Mohd.] Siraj bowled really well in the first innings.”
“In the second innings, Axar [Patel] bowled very well but Ashwin and Kuldeep kept up the pressure. Umesh [Yadav] and Siraj too. Overall it was good and this is what we wanted to do as a team.
“Batters who got starts and bowlers who got a couple of wickets will be looking forward to the next Test,” added Rahul, who scored 22 and 23, and rushed to practise on the nets instantly after his media duties.
The second Test match of the sequence will begin from December 22 in Dhaka.