For more reasons than one, the 150-run victory over New Zealand yesterday is bound to be classified as one of the finest triumphs for Bangladesh in the longest format.

The achievement of their first home Test win over the Kiwis is glorified by the fact that the Tigers operated in absence of five familiar faces, including regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan; that too, on the back of a disastrous World Cup mission in India last month.

The visitors, who arrived with a full-strength side, were regarded as the favourites before the start of the two-match Test series. However, Bangladesh kicked off their third cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) on the best possible note.

Coincidentally, it was Bangladesh's second victory in the WTC and both had materialised against the same oppositions -- the first of which came in Mount Maunganui in 2022 in the previous WTC cycle.

In a win where almost everyone chipped in, Taijul Islam stood out and was rightly adjudged as the Player of the Match. The left-arm spinner scalped two-third of the wickets needed for victory on the fifth and final day, en route to his second ten-wicket haul in Tests, allowing Najmul Hossain Shanto and Co to wrap the game up with an estimated two-and-a-half sessions to spare. 

Resuming the final day on 113 for seven, in chase of 332 runs, New Zealand were staring at a defeat and required something exceptional to bail out, with all hopes riding on overnight batter Daryl Mitchell. However, the Kiwi middle-order batter was the first to get dismissed, for 58, on the day as spinner Nayeem Hasan intervened.

Taijul, who grabbed the catch that led to Mitchell's fall, then removed skipper Tim Southee to register his 12th five-for. The 31-year-old then bagged Ish Sodhi as his final victim, concluding with figures of six for 75 as New Zealand could not stretch their second innings beyond 181.

Having demonstrated his class when it mattered the most, escaping from Shakib's shadow as well, Taijul went on establish his reputation in spearheading the spin attack.

For the Tigers, the best part of this win would likely reside in the manner they hunted, making the whole appear larger than the sum of parts.

Mahmudul Hasan Joy's 86-run knock was pivotal, and so were the few cameos from the batters that contributed to their 310-run total in first innings. Despite a few errors in the field, Shanto and Co ensured that the visitors did not build a substantial lead, courtesy of Taijul's four-wicket haul and Mominul Haque, who arrived as the unlikely hero with the ball as the part-time spinner bagged three wickets.

Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Nayeem, and lone pacer Shoriful Islam all played crucial roles on the bowling front in both innings, while debutant Shahadat Hossain Dipu showed promise with the willow.

Skipper Shanto, meanwhile, led from the front by all means possible. His leadership on the field garnered praise and a brilliant century under pressure in the second innings, supported by fifties from veteran Mushfiqur Rahim and Miraz, enabled Bangladesh to leave a target steep enough for the winners of the inaugural WTC.