5 Best performances by Bangladesh batsmen in Test cricket

4. Mohammad Ashraful – 158* vs India in 2004

Bangladesh was 0-1 down in a 2-match Test series against India and their backs were against the wall. India won the toss and piled on the misery for the hosts by scoring a mammoth 540 on the back of centuries from Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid.

In reply, Bangladesh was reeling at 54/3 staring at a big first innings deficit. In walked their young middle order batsman Mohammad Ashraful. He started his innings positively by hooking and pulling India’s best bowlers then, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan. He split the gaps through clinical precision and drove elegantly through cover all through his innings. He even braved against India’s spin duo of Anil Kumble, and Harbhajan Singh by charging out of the crease time and again. His innings was such an energy boost for his teammates that it instilled the belief in them that they could achieve something special. Ashraful scored a splendid ton and remained unbeaten on 158 off just 194 balls. His innings was studded with 24 fours and 3 sixes.

Bangladesh fell agonizingly short of their follow-on target by just 7 runs despite Ashraful’s heroics. India enforced the follow-on and the hosts crumbled in second innings and lost the Test by an innings. For his magnificent knock, Ashraful was deservedly awarded the Man of the Match.