Hasan earns Chepauk’s admiration through simplicity

When he arrived in Chennai for the first Test against India yesterday, Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud's Test career was three matches old. From an unknown entity to earning the appreciation of the proud cricket-loving fans of Chennai, Hasan has certainly created a mini ripple.

India had already regained the stronghold in the game by the time it was close to stumps on Day 1 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, known simply as Chepauk to it's cricket crazy locales, as Ravichandran Ashwin had just notched his sixth Test ton and Ravindra Jadeja was assertive at the crease in their rescue act. Yet, when Hasan stood at the ropes just in front of the press box side, the fans in the crowd cheered 'Hasan! Hasan!' as if they were calling one of their own hero.

The irregularity of the gesture -- given that a number of fans in that crowd were donning the Indian team's jersey with 'Kohli' printed on their backs -- could only be unravelled by the meticulous spells Hasan put in during the day, bagging first four of the Indian wickets to fall.

Hasan left India skipper Rohit Sharma up in a knot a couple of deliveries early in his spell before he finally got the nick off his willow. The channel and the length he hit were precise from the beginning -- enticing enough for drives but not so full as to be played comfortably.

The movement off the seam was deliberate. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who applied himself staunchly, tried to walk across to negotiate Hasan's movement and was the most successful batter during those first two sessions that Bangladesh dominated with pace.

Hasan would soon get Shubman Gill out for duck when the batter chased a delivery down the legside and edged one back to the wicketkeeper.

The usually composed Virat Kohli went for a drive to find the edge as the ball zipped away. Rishab Pant, meanwhile, was late to his shot, not quite judging the length to get a faint outside edge through to the wicketkeeper.

None of Hasan's four wickets were unforced errors, and the simplicity of his execution saw him do what he wanted.

Although India would recover, the skill that he possesses and the simplicity of execution was a point of discussion amongst Indian media.

Unwilling to celebrate his wickets, Hasan made no secret in mentioning that his skill of moving the ball in or out is what kept the batters guessing.

"Since I use it, it's my skill. I can do that and I try to do it better. Credit goes to those who worked hard on me. At the same time, it also happened through my own effort," Hasan said at the press conference yesterday when his attention was drawn to both the indippers and the outswingers he managed.

Like he was singled out by the crowd at Chepauk, this skillset of Hasan could see the 24-year-old stand out among his peers as well.

India did fight back in the end through an unbroken 195-run seventh-wicket stand between Ashwin and Jadeja.

But Hasan finished the day at 58 for four, with the chance of being the first Bangladeshi bowler to claim a fifer in a Test in India still in the offing.

"My plan was very simple. I bowled to my strength with the new ball. I wanted to do what I do well and I got the results," he said.

A simple plan sufficed for Hasan because he knew that he was in his element. "I was in my zone," he had added on exploiting the conditions.

It indeed was quite a memorable day for Hasan, who was able to garner the attention of a cricket-crazy nation simply by being in his zone, and his smile at the presser certified it later in the day.