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#INDvBAN | 250th gift: Rahim signs match ball for Ashwin

To treasure the moment, Ashwin got Rahim to sign the match ball at the end of the 208-run win for the hosts

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Mushfiqur Rahim
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Mushfiqur Rahim and Bangladesh gave a good account of themselves, taking their first Test in India up to tea on the final day. The diminutive wicketkeeper-batsman himself did well with the bat before being Ravichandran Ashwin's 250th Test wicket in the first innings.

To treasure the moment, Ashwin got Rahim to sign the match ball at the end of the 208-run win for the hosts.

"Yes, I signed the match ball for Ashwin as I was his 250th Test victim. And, he did in record fewer Tests," Rahim told DNA after addressing the media here on Monday. "I believe he bettered the record of Dennis Lillee by three Tests," he said.

Rahim hoped that Bangladesh are invited again to India for Tests now that a beginning has been made, and wants to play here again before he retires.

Rahim said his team had lots of lessons to learn from the Indians. "We must credit their bowling attack. They know how to bowl on the fifth day, which is why they are the No 1 Test side. It was a lesson for us in conditions where we don't play often enough. Most of our matches end in the third or fourth day. It feels bad that we lost but we should take home some of the more positive points."

He also admired his Indian counterpart's consistent run-making abilities. "If we knew Virat Kohli's basics, we would average more than 50, and we wouldn't have needed so many batsmen. We could have drawn the game with four batsmen. Unfortunately, our team doesn't have a Virat Kohli," Rahim said.

Rahim and his Bangladesh team can still go back home with heads held high for the fight they gave the Indians. "Although we lost, there are a lot of positives playing the No. 1 team in the world. It's a privilege and honour. The way the bowled made it hard work for our batsmen. Not only with the new ball but also with old ball. We never felt that we were set or getting big runs. Every bowler came up with a plan. Our bowlers need to learn as to how to bowl in partnerships, create pressure and grab chances," Rahim said.

The 29-year-old admitted that Bangladesh found it difficult to play consistently well over five days. But they are an improved side in recent times.

"In ODIs, it's about a day. If you turn up and do the right things well, you can end up winning. But Test cricket is a different ball game. The first innings strategy is different from second innings. There are lot of areas we need to improve.

"The biggest difference in the last five to six years is earlier we played one Test well and then another good show came up after eight to ten games. Now, we have been playing every Test better. In New Zealand and India, we have played well over three days, and here also, we played well. We need to step up a bit more. Hopefully the boys will learn.

"Look at our bowlers. Barring Shakib Al Hasan, the others haven't played more than 10-12 Tests. It doesn't matter how many runs you score. It's the bowling unit that needs to restrict the opposition. These are areas we need to work on. The more we play, more experience we get and hence deliver more."

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