India got the better of Bangladesh in the two-Test series without dropping a sweat. Right from day one, it was India all the way. With the result of the matches a foregone conclusion, all the Indian players took the opportunity to improve their aggregate and achieve some pending landmarks. So Kumble got his 435th scalp, Tendulkar his much-awaited 34th ton and even Irfan Pathan claimed his maiden five-wicket haul.

Irfan Pathan was undoubtedly the star of the series for India with three five-wicket hauls and deserved the Man of the Series award. The left-arm seamer reminded watchers of Wasim Akram in his heyday with his devastating swinging deliveries trapping innumerable batsmen plumb in front of the wicket. The 20-year old is still at the beginning of his career but has shown ample signs of being a match-winner. Though one shouldn't read too much into his performances against the minnows, he has done exceedingly well against stronger opponents as well. If he can improve his batting, Pathan might well be able to fulfill the role that Agarkar has promised to do for so long but never delivered. It is essential, though, for Indian cricket not to overbowl him and exhaust him out. India dearly need an injury-free and fully fit Irfan Pathan.

Among the others who capitalised on this golden opportunity was Gautam Gambhir. The Delhi opener who missed his century recently against South Africa more than made up for it by carving out a meaty century on the first day of the Chittangong Test. Another possible star in the making, Gambhir has been one of the most consistent batsmen in domestic cricket and has deservedly got the opportunity to don Indian colours. But there are a few weaknesses in his batting which can get him into trouble. From the point of view of the team and the individual himself, it is important for Gambhir to complete a smooth transition from domestic to international cricket. It won't be easy, considering the wide gap between the two forms of cricket. But then, he will have to make full use of this chance. If he doesn't, he might well be thrown into the wilderness like Aakash Chopra.

The middle-order batsmen who were struggling for runs prior to this series got a fantastic opportunity to return to form against an inexperienced and below-par attack. Dravid took this opportunity to become the first player to score a century in Test cricket in all Test-playing nations, a feat to be proud of, while Sachin Tendulkar got the easiest attack in the world to complete his record equalling 34th Test century. But the 'Little Genius' ought to be thankful to the 'butter-fingered' Bangladeshi fielders who missed three relatively simple chances presented by him and paid dearly. Even Sourav Ganguly, who last scored a Test century against Australia at Brisbane, managed to up his average with a couple of half-centuries. But he too needed help from the Bangladeshi fielders. The only batsmen to miss out were Sehwag and Laxman. The Hyderabadi, probably still unable to recover from the shock of being eliminated from the one-day squad, ended with a disappointing highest score of 32 while Sehwag fell cheaply in both innings failing to show off his true potential to the sparse Bangladeshi crowd.

In the bowling department, virtually everyone contributed. Zaheer Khan, who will remember the series for two reasons -his 100th Test wicket and his record knock of 75 -, was off-colour at times. But overall, his performance was satisfactory. Anil Kumble provided breakthroughs whenever the team was desperate for a wicket. Harbhajan Singh was hardly needed to bowl. There was bad news in store for him though, with his action being reported for the second time. The chucking controversy never ceases to amaze. After being cleared by the ICC, Harbhajan's 'doosra' is now under scrutiny.

India got the better of Bangladesh in the two-Test series without dropping a sweat. Right from day one, it was India all the way. With the result of the matches a foregone conclusion, all the Indian players took the opportunity to improve their aggregate and achieve some pending landmarks. So Kumble got his 435th scalp, Tendulkar his much-awaited 34th ton and even Irfan Pathan claimed his maiden five-wicket haul.

Coming back to the series, though Bangladesh were thoroughly outplayed, they did have their moment or two of glory. Mohd. Ashraful, named Man of the Match at Chittagong, registered the highest Test score in Test matches by a Bangladeshi batsman. His knock of 158 n.o. belonged to the top drawer and will be remembered by all who watched the match. The youngest centurion in Test cricket, he can be a great batsman in the future if he can improve his consistency. Mohd. Rafique, the veteran of Bangladeshi cricket, also did well with both bat and ball. Bangladesh need more lion-hearted cricketers like him in the team to lift the spirits of the others.

While this series has turned out to be another debacle for the newest entrant in Test cricket, Dav Whatmore can work on the positives and build up the team to perform better in the upcoming games. It will be a tough task. But then, Whatmore is a taskmaster himself and is definitely capable of making some difference to the team.