5 innings' of Mohammad Ashraful that changed the fortunes of Bangladesh cricket forever

#2 158* against India in Chittagong, 2004

Ashraful's 158* was the then highest Test score by a Bangladeshi batsman

Bangladesh hosted India in 2004 for a home series for the first time in their cricketing history. That Indian team was well decorated with the players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and many more, and all these stars were in the best form of their lives.

In the end, team India beat Bangladesh in the series without much fuss but one Bangladeshi stood out: Mohammad Ashraful.

The then 20-year old played an unbeaten inning of 158 in Chittagong facing the likes of Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble. That mighty strong show of Mohammad Ashraful was like a statement to the world that 'yes, we can compete in Test matches!'

The right-handed batsman hit 24 boundaries to go along with his three sixes. His 158 remained as highest Test innings by a Bangladeshi until Mushfiqur Rahim scored 200 against Sri Lanka at Colombo in 2013.