Day 4: India win Dhaka Test, win series 2-0

Shreyas Iyar and Ravichandran Ashwin held the key as India defeated Bangladesh by three wickets in the second Test at Mirpur.

With this win, India have clinched the two-match Test series against Bangladesh 2-0.

Chasing 145, Team India faced major blows after Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan scalped five and two wickets respectively.

Resuming on 45 for 4, India needed 100 more to win and Bangladesh six wickets. 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s five-for gave the hosts a big chance with quick wickets in the first half hour.

However, Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer showed their batting chops and also scored at a good clip – at over four an over – to take India over the line before the scheduled lunch break.

Iyer and Ashwin stitched a brilliant 71-run partnership that took Team India to victory by three wickets.

India were in deep trouble in the first hour at 74 for 7, still 71 adrift from the target, when Iyer and Ashwin came together.

It was spinner Miraz who gave Bangladesh a sniff of victory.

He removed two left-hand batters in consecutive overs for his eighth Test five-for.

A lot was expected of Rishabh Pant but Mehidy bowled on the fourth stump line consistently to him from around the wicket.

It paid off as a ball pitched marginally shorter trapped Pant on the back foot for 9.

71 for 6 quickly became 74 for 7. 

Miraz’s next victim was Axar Patel when a faster one deflected off his pads on the back foot and hit the stumps to send him back for 34.

The best part about Iyer and Ashwin’s partnership was that they played with a lot of common sense.

Iyer used his straight bat to play out the spinners patiently and Ashwin used a low stance for the low bounce especially against Miraz.

Ashwin was very aggressive as the target neared. He scored 31 off the last 34 runs with the help of four fours and a six 

Apart from them, Axar Patel also smashed 34 runs.

For India, Axar scalped three wickets while Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj scalped two wickets each. 

With this win, India strengthened their second spot on the WTC table.

India have a four-Test series coming up at home against Australia.

In this series, they can afford to lose only one game to not lose out on the final spot.

Cheteshwar Pujara was declared Player of the Series and Ashwin bagged the Player of the Match award.

India 314 (Pant 93, Iyer 87, Taijul 4-74, Shakib 4-79) and 145 for 7 (Ashwin 42*, Axar 34, Mehidy 5-63) beat Bangladesh 227 (Mominul 84, Umesh 4-25, Ashwin 4-71) and 231 (Litton 73, Zakir 51, Axar 3-68) by seven wickets