India set a stiff 513-run target to win, and Bangladesh reached 42 for no loss at stumps on the third day of the opening Test against India in Chattogram on Friday.
At the end of the day’s play, Najmul Hossain Shanto (25) and Zakir Hasan (17) were at the crease for the home team.
India dismissed Bangladesh for 150 in their first innings with left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav taking a career-best 5 for 40.
Yadav was playing his first Test in 22 months and eighth overall and picked up his third five-wicket haul.
Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel picked the final two wickets of Bangladesh in the opening hour, with India just conceding 17 more runs to Bangladesh’s overnight score.
Mehidy Hasan (25) was the only batter who fought doggedly and played the maximum number of balls (82) but had little support at other end and became Axar Patel’s only victim of the innings.
With nearly three days at their disposal and a lead of 254, India captain KL Rahul decided against enforcing the follow-on
India then declared their second innings for 258 for 2.
Day 3 was dominated by India whose batters put on two centuries and three fifty-run stands.
India’s batting heroes were Shubman Gill (110 off 152 balls) and Cheteshwar Pujara (102 not out off 130 balls).
Gill went for his shots, playing the cut, the slog sweep, the pull and the flick off the pads to pick up boundaries.
Buoyed by his 90 in the first innings, Pujara was a picture of supreme confidence.
This showed in his attacking batting display where his first fifty came off 87 balls, yet he raced to his next 50 in just 43 balls.
Stand-in skipper Rahul, who holed out at the fine leg boundary off a well-laid short ball trap by Khaled Ahmed (1/52 in 13 overs), would rue that he missed a chance to get a big score.
Bangladesh are 42 for no loss, at stumps and require a mammoth 471 to clinch victory.
The pitch isn’t a nightmare though a lot of balls are indeed keeping low.
Also, it hasn’t shown considerable wear and tear. Despite this, to bat for 180 overs over two days will be a tough ask for the Bangladesh batting line-up against the Indian bowling line-up.
Bangladesh 150 (Mushfiqur 28, Mehidy 25, Kuldeep 5-40, Siraj 3-20) and 42 for 0 (Shanto 25*, Zakir 17*) need another 471 runs to beat India 404 and 258 for 2 dec (Gill 110, Pujara 102*, Khaled 1-51)
