Four half-centuries then, and where do you begin? Looking back, it has to be that bright, lively 102-ball, 56 by Kaarthick. Not just because of the way he went about it, but because of that increasingly obvious ability to soak in the pressure, and then shrug it off.

After watching his specialist opening partner Jaffer shoulder arms to a ball that sneaked in to pop out the off stump, you would have expected the 11-Test-old Karthik to start tottering, his nerves in a shambles. But what he came up with out there was a brilliant exhibition of aggressive, hungry batting that blew away Bangladesh.

Indeed, with Dravid shifting gears quite early at the other end, India’s journey from that early blow to 124 for two in 187 balls was the day’s showpiece session. Zoom in further, and you might pause to admire those two sensational cover drives by Dravid off Mortaza, and one Kapil Dev-style Nataraja pull by Kaarthick, followed by a slapped four past the other pacer Shahadat Hossain.

In fact, Dravid’s 61 came in just 99 balls, as he later took the three left-arm spinners apart, rocking back to cut hard, or plonking that front foot down to drill through the heavy armour at cover. Kaarthick, at the other end, kept pace with the skipper, pushing him hard for the singles, fighting inch for inch with a far superior fielding force.

Surely, 12th man Yuvraj Singh would have noticed the intense desire to hang on to that India cap—this is Kaarthick’s third chance after an eight-Test spell two years ago, and two Tests in Zimbabwe—and make every minute in the middle count.

... contd.