Bangladesh makes steady progress to maintain their lead after two sessions.

    VS

Day 1 - Bangladesh chose to field.       (80 ov) 339/6

Hasan Mahmud received increased backing from his teammates in the second session as Bangladesh challenged the depth of India's batting lineup.

**India 176 for 6 (Ashwin 21*, Jadeja 7*, Jaiswal 56, Mahmud 4-35) vs Bangladesh**

It was an unusual day of Test cricket in Chennai. For the first time in seven years, a team opted to bowl first in a Test match involving India. Hasan Mahmud, the least quick of Bangladesh's pace trio, justified that decision by claiming three wickets in his initial spell. However, despite that early success, the chance to capitalize was somewhat squandered by the other bowlers not performing to expectations. In the second session, Bangladesh found their rhythm and bowled more cohesively, claiming three additional wickets and putting India's much-praised batting depth to the test.

To consider batting last in India, conditions must be truly exceptional. Yet, both teams fielded three fast bowlers each and chose to bowl first, even with record-breaking heat in Chennai leading up to the Test. The pitch was soft beneath the surface, and the skies were overcast on match day. After an unremarkable first three overs in which batters rarely had to play a shot, Mahmud found his groove.

Beginning with his second over, Mahmud consistently bowled a good length, extracting just enough movement in both directions. Rohit Sharma narrowly avoided an lbw call with one delivery that seamed in but soon edged another that moved away. Ironically, Rohit found himself on strike for that delivery due to a quick single.

Early in his innings, Shubman Gill seemed unsettled in his brief eight-ball stay, with his position at No. 3 in jeopardy against the moving ball. Hasan Mahmud persistently drew him forward, getting the ball to nibble both ways. The conclusion to Gill's innings was rather anti-climactic, as he edged a faint touch down the leg side. 

Virat Kohli followed, coming in with aggressive intent, playing some flamboyant flicks and looking to advance quickly. However, with aggression comes risk. When Mahmud found his rhythm, Kohli was caught off guard, misjudging a drive and edging it to the keeper. By the end of that over, Mahmud's impressive figures stood at 5-2-6-3.

Unfortunately for Mahmud, he couldn't bowl from both ends. The other end provided little challenge for the batters; Taskin Ahmed and the fiery Nahid Rana focused on short deliveries, failing to maximize the pitch's potential. When they did shift to fuller lengths, they overpitched, allowing both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant—playing his first Test in over 600 days—to drive with ease.

Without even pushing for quick runs, India accumulated 62 runs in 16.3 overs. Just as batting appeared to become easier, Rishabh Pant failed to capitalize fully against Bangladesh. After hitting a powerful square-cut for four, he was late on a shorter delivery the very next ball. Side-on replays revealed that he made contact behind his body, toe-ending the shot almost as an afterthought. Pant didn’t need the replay to recognize his error; he banged his pad in frustration as he walked off, a sign of the luck Mahmud had earned during his opening spell.

After lunch, Taskin and Rana bowled significantly better. Taskin consistently hit a good length but reaped no rewards, repeatedly beating Jaiswal’s bat. Meanwhile, Rana maintained the pressure and coaxed an edge with his extra pace. As is often the case when a bowler finds their rhythm, Zakir Hasan produced a stunning catch at short leg to dismiss the composed KL Rahul. Offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz also delivered a much-improved spell in the second session, allowing the fast bowlers to rest at the other end.

India's score had shifted from 34 for 3 to 96 for 3, and then to 144 for 6. The final wicket brought loud cheers, as in walked Chennai’s own R. Ashwin. In the short time before tea, Ashwin electrified the crowd with some aggressive shots, reaching 21 off 19 balls. He and Ravindra Jadeja had assembled a vital partnership of 32 runs for the seventh wicket by tea.