Sachin Tendulkar acknowledges applause after his double century on the third day of the first Test against Bangladesh at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday. (AFP)

Dhaka: Indian speedster Irfan Pathan on Sunday claimed the Bangabandhu National Stadium wicket to be the best he had bowled on in Asia.

?We are getting more assistance from the wicket. In Pakistan also we were getting more help and swing.

?It is a bit different here, the ball swings more here than in India. I think this is the best wicket I had played on in Asia,? Pathan said after grabbing five for 31 in Bangladesh?s second innings that helped him notch up his first 10-wicket haul in Test cricket.

Pathan claimed his first fiver on the first day of the ongoing first Test. And his second innings fireworks left the hosts on the brink of defeat at 170 for eight, needing another 172 runs to make India bat again.

The 21-year-old left-arm seamer said he would rate his second five wicket haul better than the first since it came under tougher conditions.

?In the first innings the wicket was damp, whereas it is generally difficult to get swing in the afternoon. And I was bowling with a bit more pace but not that much swing,? he added. ?I think I bowled a lot better in the second innings than the first,? the pacer remarked.

He said it was not a conscious decision to bowl from an English umpire?s end (Jeremy Lloyd) who tend to give more leg before decisions.

?It wasn?t like that. I was bowling with the wind in the first innings. In the second there was no wind, so I thought I would try this end.?

Pathan said he did not expect the second fiver to come within 24 hours of the first one. ?It?s a great feeling. To first get five wickets and then ten. You need one five-wicket haul to get it started. I didn?t know it was going to happen so quickly.?

Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar was on the defensive when quizzed about his third consecutive dismissal via a pull shot.

?It?s a normal shot for me. It?s just that I couldn?t connect all the three times,? he said.

Bashar, the home team?s most successful batsman with more than 2000 career runs, fell to the leg side trap in both innings when his pull shot found the fielder.

He was also out to such a shot against the West Indies when the two teams played last. (PTI)