IND vs BAN | Indian fast bowlers were unplayable, reckons Murali Karthik
Former Indian cricketer Murali Karthik believed that the Indian pacers were absolutely fantastic in the first innings of pink-ball Test and were absolutely unplayable. India bowled out Bangladesh for just 106 and have raced to a 68-run lead at the end of day's play firmly in the driver's seat.
There was a lot of talk about the unusual behaviour of the pink-ball before the beginning of the historic pink-ball Test between India and Bangladesh. But Murali Karthik believes that some of the wickets were also due to poor shot selection from the batsmen. He believed that the Indian pace attack tormented the batsmen and was too hot to handle. Ishant Sharma was the pick of the bowlers with a five-wicket haul while Mohammad Shami was terrorising the batsman forcing Bangladesh to use two concussion substitutes.
" I would say it was a combination of both (the ball as well as bad batting). Some of the wickets there were technical inadequacies. But you have to give credit to the trio of bowlers that we have because they were outstanding. Literally they were unplayable at one point of time and seemed to take wickets at will. Shami I felt he was trying to hit helmets rather than wickets," Karthik said in a chat show with Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz.
Like Bhogle, even Karthik felt that the ball was heavier due to the lacquer and was travelling faster than the red ball. Yet he was so impressed with the kind of keeping that Wriddhiman Saha showed that he felt he was equally deserving of the recipient of the man of the match as much as Ishant Sharma.
"Fielding coach R Sridhar said that the keepers Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant were finding it difficult to keep even with the gloves. Having said that, what Wriddhiman Saha did with the gloves I think he is the man of the match along with Ishant Sharma. People are good on one side because of your natural side or arm but Saha is equally good at both sides. The catch that he took which was dying and some of the takes which were on the bounce just short of where he stood he just took so comfortably. Hats off!" he exclaimed.
Karthik criticized the Bangladesh bowlers for being on the shorter side and not bowling the right line. He felt that it was too easy for the Indian batsmen to negotiate them at a time under the lights when there was assistance for the bowlers.
"When you don't have the pace you need to make sure that your lengths are impeccable and your lengths are what is needed for the wicket. How much fuller the Indian bowlers have bowled that is something the Bangladesh bowlers can take a leaf out of. There is no excuse to bowl short 125 kmph and that too to the Indian batsmen," he stated.
 Karthik praised Ishant not only for the variation of the leg cutter that he learnt but also for the spot on which he was landing the ball and bamboozling the batsmen. A far as the batting is concerned, Karthik believed that Kohli has got to yet another brilliant start and the hundred is there for the taking. He believes that if India manage to post a big first-innings score, the game can be over inside three days like it did in Indore.
"The way Ishant is getting it to come in from the right length and the way he smirked when Nayeem was beaten, he looked at the slips and knew the wicket was coming. The next ball pitched on middle and off and took the off-stump," he said
" I feel there is a hundred in the offering for Kohli and I definitely feel that the kind of determination that is there be it any opposition he just wants to churn the runs out."