Admission of India’s greatness from Pakistan: ‘Bharat ek great team ban chuki hai’ | Cricket News

India’s all-format dominance in world cricket over the last five years has been widely acknowledged by the greats of the games, with many crediting the regular emergence of quality fast bowlers, which was never India’s strength, as one of the primary reasons.
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Talking about how India’s all-round strength has made them a “great team”, former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja lauded how the hosts got themselves out of jail on the first day of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh, after being reduced to 34 for 3 and then 144 for 6, to post a competitive 376 on the board.

“Ghar pe is tarah ki zarb Bharat ko badi der ke baad lagi hai (after a long time India were put under pressure while playing at home),” said Ramiz on his YouTube channel, analysing the first day’s play.
“Magar Bharat ek great team ban chuka hai…ghar pe jab khelte hain to yeh haarte nahi hain (but India have become a great team, they don’t lose when they play at home).”

Ravichandran Ashwin‘s attacking 113 and his 199-run partnership for the seventh wicket with spin twin Ravindra Jadeja (86) not just put a stop on the fall of wickets but also ensured that India scored at a brisk pace to put the Bangladesh bowlers under pressure.
“It was a brilliant partnership on various counts — run-rate, intelligence. It had street-smartness, slogging, classical shots. The all-round strength we saw in their line-up is worth a mention. Ashwin’s century, Jadeja in the 80s…144 for 6 and then went on to score in excess of 300,” Ramiz analysed, while also praising the five-wicket haul (5 for 83) of young pacer Hasan Mahmud.

“Hasan Mahmud did well but didn’t get much support from the other end…Bangladesh need an all-round bowling strength to challenge teams like India.”
After getting bowled out on the second morning, India returned to the field to take control as Jasprit Bumrah (1/10) struck in the first over to remove Shadman Islam (2) and then Akash Deep took two wickets off consecutive deliveries to reduce the visitors to 26 for 3 at lunch.