May 19, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 02, 1428

CHITTAGONG (Bangladesh), May 18: India overcame the first-ball dismissal of opener Wasim Jaffer to pile up 295 for three on the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh at the Ruhul Amin Stadium on Friday.

Half-centuries from captain Rahul Dravid, Dinesh Karthick, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly frustrated the hosts on a bone-dry wicket that offered no assistance to the bowlers.

India, electing to take first strike, were stunned when Jaffer was bowled off the first ball of the match by Bangladesh pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza.

Jaffer, who was not picked for the preceding one-day series, which India won 2-0, shouldered arms to a delivery that swung in sharply and shattered the stumps.

But Bangladesh’s joy was short-lived as the Indian middle order settled in to take their team towards a commanding first innings total. Dravid (61) and Karthick (56) put on 124 for the second wicket before falling in the space of 12 deliveries in the rain-curtailed afternoon session.

Senior pros Tendulkar and Ganguly, returning to the side after being kept out of the one-dayers, denied Bangladesh further success as they added 163 for the unbroken fourth wicket.

Tendulkar was unbeaten on 80 and looked set to add to his world record 35 Test centuries. He has so far hit seven boundaries. Ganguly was on 82, a stroke-filled knock studded with 10 fours and two sixes, both off left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique.

Play ended 13 overs early due to bad light, much to the relief of the Bangladesh fielders, who toiled hard in oppressively hot and humid conditions.

An hour’s play was lost in the afternoon session following light rain during the lunch break, an interruption that appeared to break the concentration of both Dravid and Karthick.

The duo, which put on 113 for the second wicket by lunch, took the total to 124 when Karthick (56) played a rash drive off Mortaza and holed out to Mohammad Ashraful at mid-off.

Karthick hit nine boundaries in his third Test half-century, justifying the selectors’ faith in turning the team’s reserve wicket-keeper into an opening batsman.

Dravid had made 61 when he top-edged a cut off seamer Shahadat Hossain and was caught behind by wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud as India went from 124-1 to 132-3.

Veterans Tendulkar and Ganguly, however, rotated the strike and hit the loose balls for boundaries to keep the Bangladesh bowlers at bay.

India went into the match with five bowlers, but sprang a surprise by picking three seamers and leaving only two spinners in Anil Kumble and Test debutant Ramesh Powar.

Scoreboard

INDIA 1st innings:

W. Jaffer b Mortaza 0

D. Karthick c Ashraful b Mortaza 56

R.A. Dravid c Mashud b Shahadat 61

S.R. Tendulkar not out 80

S.C. Ganguly not out 82

Extras: (B-1, LB-5, W-1, NB-9) 16

Total (For 3 wkts, 77 overs) 295

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0, 2-124, 3-132.

Bowling: Mortaza 18-5-64-2 (NB-3), Shahadat 9-1-33-1 (NB-2, W-1), Rafique 20-2-89-0, Enamul 13-0-57-0 (NB-4), Saqibul 13-2-29-0, Ashraful 1-0-5-0, Saleh 3-1-12-0

UMPIRES: Daryl Harper (AUS) and Billy Doctrove (WIS)

TV UMPIRE: Enamul Haque Moni (BAN)

MATCH REFEREE: Roshan Mahanama (SRI).—AFP