In the end, this game got the end it deserved — a quiet, soggy burial. Even though India tried their best to twist the knife in with a snap declaration. Even through Bangladesh tried their best to reach the target, before shaking hands and giving up half-way.

With just over 15 hours lost due to rain over the last five days, India go into the second and final Test with the four wickets by RP Singh on a flat wicket to look back on, and the comeback centuries by Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly that set up what was hoped would be a simple romp to the finish line.

Summing it up, skipper Rahul Dravid said, “Kya kar sakte the? Definitely, after the first day, at 295 for three, we were in a very good position to control the Test match. We won a good toss, I must admit, and we batted well on the first day at a good run-rate. We were definitely in the drivers’ seat. After that, it was a stop-start game. We really didn’t have enough overs to force a result... Baarish aa gaya to aa gaya.”

And about that final twist, declaring at 100 for six — the last four wickets fell today in a frantic chase for runs after the watery outfield drowned play till 2 pm — Dravid said, “We knew we had to give them a bit of a sniff. We were hoping that they play positively and try and look for the target. And we could take a few wickets — anything can happen, really. But after the first hour, they played quite sensibly.”

... contd.