R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja played a pivotal role in rescuing India from a precarious position on Day 1 of the first Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Team India were 339/6 at stumps with Ashwin not out on 102 and Jadeja not out on 86. India found themselves in trouble at 144 for 6 in the second session, following a spirited bowling performance from the Bangladesh team that dismissed their top-order batsmen.
With India struggling to set a competitive first-innings total, Ashwin and Jadeja combined to forge a crucial 100-plus run partnership for the seventh wicket. Their resilience and skill not only stabilized India’s innings but also placed them in an elite group of Indian batting pairs with significant contributions in Test cricket.
This partnership marked the second time Ashwin and Jadeja have added 100 or more runs together, the first being a 130-run stand against Sri Lanka in Mohali. They now join Kapil Dev and Syed Kirmani in an exclusive list of Indian pairs with over 500 partnership runs for the seventh wicket or below in home conditions.
Most Partnership Runs at Home (7th Wicket or Below)
- Kapil Dev and Syed Kirmani – 617 runs in 14 matches
- R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – 500* in 14 matches
- MS Dhoni and VVS Laxman – 486 runs in 3 matches
- Syed Kirmani and Ravi Shastri – 462 runs in 8 matches
- Ravindra Jadeja and Wriddhiman Saha – 421 runs in 9 matches
Earlier in the day, India faced a challenging start as Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal were dismissed after making significant contributions, and the team lost key batsmen Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill cheaply. Pant and Jaiswal had initially steadied the innings, but Bangladesh’s bowlers struck again in the second session, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz removing KL Rahul.
Despite Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud taking four early wickets, Ashwin and Jadeja counter-attacked effectively.