Hasan Mahmud might be only three Tests old, but the pacer is fast proving to be a force to reckon with. India, unfortunately, learnt it the hard way in the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai today.
Having won the toss and electing to bowl first, Mahmud got the better of India skipper Rohit Sharma (6), Shubman Gill (0) and Virat Kohli (6), reducing the hosts to 34/3 within the first 10 overs.
He would have got Sharma earlier, but the umpire's call went the latter's way. But his luck did not last long, as he nicked one to the slips soon after. Gill was next to go, edging one down the leg, to wicketkeeper Litton Das. Kohli fell trying to play a cover drive, edging it to Das.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant were at the crease, fighting back with elan.
Impressive year for Hasan Mahmud
The 24-year-old made his debut earlier this year against Sri Lanka. Though Bangladesh lost both the Tests, Mahmud made his mark with a six wickets in the second match.
He followed it up with eight wickets in the historic 2-0 whitewash of Pakistan on their homeland, which included a five-wicket haul in the second Test.
Mahmud has 30 wickets in 22 ODIs and 18 scalps in as many T20Is.
Rising through the ranks
Hailing from Laxmipur, Mahmud came up through the ranks playing age-group cricket. He first played for the Chattogram U-16s in 2015. He went on to pick nine wickets in the 2018 U-19 World Cup.
He picked up 12 wickets in the Dhaka Premier League (List-A), while continuing to play for the U-23 team. In 2019-20, he took 10 wickets each in the BPL (T20s) and Bangladesh Cricket League (first-class), before making his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in March 2020.
In the Bangabandhu T20 Cup in November 2020, Mahmud took 11 wickets for eventual champions Gemcon Khulna, earning him the ODI call-up against West Indies.