Bangladesh spinners caught India in spin web to dismiss them for 314 in the first innings of the second Test at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Friday.
Spinner accounted for the nine wickets, with left-arm spinner duo Taijul Islam and Shakib Al Hasan claiming four wickets each. Mehidy Hasan Miraz played a perfect foil to them with one wicket while fast bowler Taskin Ahmed got the rest of the wicket but that was the prized scalp of Virat Kohli.
Despite failing to thrive against the spinners, India ended up taking a handy 87-run lead as Bangladesh were bowled out for 227 in their first innings.
Rishabh Pant played an attacking knock but was denied his sixth century by 8 runs as he was dismissed for 93 off 104, smashing seven fours and five sixes.
Even though Shreyas Iyer continued his rich vein form, he too failed to get the three figures to mark, being out for 87, a knock designed by 10 fours and two sixes.
Pant and Iyer combined for 157 runs for the fifth wicket stand to help India take a lead after Bangladesh put them on top, reducing India to 94-4, thanks to the brilliant bowling of Taiijul Islam.
Taijul sliced the top order in a gem of spin bowling as India resumed day two at 19 without loss.
The left-arm spinner successfully reviewed a leg-before decision to remove captain KL Rahul for 10 after which he got rid of Shubman Gill (20). Gill the centurion of the first Test was also trapped by leg-before, trying to sweep a delivery that didn’t turn much as he expected, leaving India at 38-2.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli appeared set to rebuild the innings, dominating the spinners astutely but Mominul Haque took a sharp catch at short leg to get rid of the former on 24 off Taijul’s bowling.
Bangladesh then got the big scalp, thanks to Taskin Ahmed, who moved one slightly but that was enough to tempt Kholi to poke it to the wicket-keeper Nurul Hasan. Kohli was then 24 and Bangladesh raised the prospect of taking a lead.
However, that was not to be as Pant and Iyer came up with a counterattack policy which worked well for them.
Their strategy also gave Bangladesh ample opportunity to dismiss both of the batters, but simply, they couldn’t hold onto the chances.
Pant survived twice-on 11 when Liton Das failed to grab a catch at slip off offspinner Mehidy and later on 59 against the same bowler. This time Mushfiqur Rahim misjudged at long-on and couldn’t take a one-handed catch, rather it went for a big six.
Iyer got a life on 15 when Mehidy shelled a catch at gully off Taskin Ahmed’s delivery.
But Pant hit Taijul a six and then took doubles to raise his 11th half-century off just 49 balls.
Iyer later brought up his fifth fifty off 60 balls in his just seventh Test, pulling pacer Khaled Ahmed for a single through fine leg.
As they played with an aggressive mindset, India looked destined for a big total. But Pant’s concentration was broken when a diehard fan invaded the ground to pay respect to Shakib Al Hasan.
The play was stopped for a while. When it resumed, Pant edged a Mehidy delivery to the wicket-keeper to be out in the 90s for the sixth time in his career.
Pant’s dismissal also made an adverse impact on Iyer and soon after he was dismissed, trying to play an expensive sweep shot against Shakib. The lead was then just 52, with India reeling at 271-7.
The tail-enders added a valuable 43 runs to keep the side’s nose ahead, unlike Bangladesh which lost the last three wickets for eight balls.
