Just few days back he was packing his bags, ready to leave for India at the completion of the one-day series against Bangladesh. He did not get a chance to play in the one-dayers, as the third match, in Chittagong, in which he was supposed to play, got washed out. He must have wondered whether he would get another chance to play for India again.

But, then, S Sreesanth was ruled out of the Test series with an injury; R P Singh was asked to stay back at the last moment.

• Mashrafe frustrates India | Images

They say, when you get an opportunity, grab it with both hands. R P Singh made sure he did that when he took the ball in the first innings of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong on Monday.

It was the 21-year-old pace bowler's first match since last October, when he turned out against the West Indies in a one-dayer in the ICC Champions Trophy.

He was quick to admit how difficult making a comeback was after a few months in the wilderness.

"I have come back after a while, so it was not easy for me. I played in some domestic matches -- Ranji Trophy and some other games. But things fell in place for me today; hopefully, we can make it on the last day tomorrow," said R P Singh.

The left-arm pacer bowled with a lot of energy, getting the ball to bounce. His discipline was excellent and he bowled in the right areas most of the time, ensuring that he made the batsmen play on most occasions.

The reward for his effort was a haul of 3 wickets for 25 runs in 17 overs, which had Bangladesh reeling at 149 for 8 at one point, before Mashrafe Mortaza staged a brilliant escape.

Singh said the bowlers needed to try different things to outdo the batsmen.

"The pitch was totally flat. But if you pitch it in the right areas and length... and you need to bowl different length for different batsmen; things worked well for me today," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh pacer has played only two Tests thus far, both in Pakistan last year, but did not make it to the side again after that despite taking nine wickets in that series.

But it has not affected his morale. He just kept focusing on trying to get back into the team with strong performance in domestic cricket.

"When I was out of the Indian team, coaches back in Lucknow gave me a lot of confidence and encouragement to stay positive. It has worked for me," he said.

India wasted a good opportunity to take control after Bangladesh were reeling at 149 for 8 as Mortaza added 77 runs for the ninth-wicket with Shahadat Hossain, who made 31.

R P Singh believes India still have a chance to get something out of this match. But his hopes could be blown away after a spell of heavy rain lashed Chittagong around 1915 IST on Monday.

"We are a bit disappointed that we let them [Bangladesh] go after reducing them to 149 for eight. Let us see what will happen tomorrow. A lot is left in this match and we will play for win tomorrow," he said.

"It all depends on how much you score tomorrow. We have bowled well. But we have full confidence that we can win the match tomorrow.

"We have no intentions of putting ourselves under pressure and there are no special plans as such... go there and play your natural game," he added.

The heavy rain that followed minutes later must surely have dampened the young bowler's high hopes!