BAN vs IND: Mohammed Siraj opens up on his altercation with Litton Das

India found themselves in a commanding position in the series opener after a glittering performance by their bowlers against Bangladesh on the second day in Chattogram. Following a strong lower-order fightback from Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj struck gold with his very first delivery of the match. The searing pacer was involved in an altercation with the Bangladeshi middle order batter Litton Das before making a mess of his stumps. He revealed the words of wisdom he imparted to the Das during the incident in the post-match presser.

The visitors posted a daunting total of 404 runs thanks to a late riposte from Ashwin and Kuldeep, who added 87 runs for the eighth wicket. Bangladesh's hopes of a strong reply were dented on the very first delivery of the second innings after Mohammed Siraj sent Najmul Hossain Shanto packing for a golden duck. 

The Indian pacer was breathing fire down the necks of the Bangladeshi batters and had a few words for Litton Das when he blocked one of Siraj's deliveries. Litton charged towards the bowler as Siraj walked towards his run-up, only to be halted by the umpire. The Indian star got rid of the in-form batter on the very next delivery, prompting a fascinating response from former Indian skipper Virat Kohli and the bowler himself.

“No, nothing. I said, ‘Ye T20 format nahi hai, ye Test cricket hai (this isn’t T20, this is Test cricket. Play sensible cricket,)” Siraj revealed when asked about his altercation with the Bangladeshi skipper.

Bangladesh finished the day on 133/8, staring down the barrel with three days still remaining in the opening Test match of the series. Kuldeep Yadav struck early on the third day to claim a memorable five-for, becoming the first Indian bowler to scalp five wickets in an innings at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.