CHENNAI: When Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to field against India on an unusually overcast day in Chennai on Friday, he was the only second captain to do so in Test cricket at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

The only other was England captain Keith Fletcher in 1982, and the match ended in a draw after five days of run fest. Shanto’s case, however, was different. For starters, the red soil pitch had a tinge of grass left on it and had been watered enough in the lead-up to the match to ensure that it stayed firm and had consistent bounce. Even more so with the rising temperature that was felt in the city last week.

India also wanted such a surface because a spinning track might just end up favouring Bangladesh, who have three quality spinners in Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Taijul Islam. Add that to the fact that the city experienced cloudy weather on the first day, both Shanto and India captain Rohit Sharma wanted to bowl first, and with good reasons.

It all showed in the first two days of the match. Nine Indian wickets fell to pacers in the first innings with Hasan Mahmud taking a fifer — the last pacer to do so was James Pattinson in 2013. Mahmud hit the right lengths early on and made the ball move in both directions, troubling the star-studded Indian top-order. While there were a few bad shots, Mahmud rarely bowled bad deliveries in his first spell.

Only Ravichandran Ashwin, who read the pitch at his home ground better than most,managed to break the shackles and score quickly. This is not a typical Chepauk pitch Test cricket has seen in the last 15-20 years. It had bounce, sideways movement and carry all through the first day. And Ashwin knew enough to trust the bounce and pick the lengths while staying in the crease for most of his century.

Even on day two, despite the sun coming out and beating down heavily, the pitch held its own. It did not take long for Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep to make the most of it. The duo ran through the Bangladesh top-order — some poor batting helped — and even after the ball got a little older and bounce became a little up and down, they had enough pace and carry on the surface. Mohammed Siraj even reversed the ball a little later on, finishing with two wickets.