Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant: Rock, star
Mirpur, December 23
Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer combined in a rollicking 159-run partnership to help India wrest back control of the second Test against Bangladesh today.
The touring side were all out for 314 claiming a handy first-innings lead of 87 in the low-scoring contest at Mirpur’s Shere Bangla National Stadium.
8 Cheteshwar Pujara became only the eighth Indian to score 7,000 runs in Test cricket.
1 Pant scored 93 off 104 — his sixth dismissal in the 90s to go with five Test hundreds. He is now the only batter among those with at least five hundreds to score more nineties than hundreds.
Bangladesh finished Day 2 on seven for no loss after openers Najmul Hossain and Zakir Hasan safely negotiated six tricky overs until stumps.
“I love challenges and… That was exactly the situation I wanted to be in,” Iyer, who made 87, said, also heaping praise on Pant, who made 93. “He maintained his calmness throughout and targeted the right bowlers at the right time. Especially in Test cricket, he’s got this pattern of scoring runs against difficult bowlers, completely taking pressure off the batsman at the other end, and that’s what he did today.”
The hosts, having posted a below-par 227 in their first innings, dominated the morning session when left-arm spinner Taijul Islam’s triple strike rattled India.
I love and thrive under challenges. Pressure lifts me, that’s the situation I wanted to be in. Pant kept me calm and composed. It was crucial. We made a stand of 170 (159) but it was important. (On chat with Pant) It wasn’t an intense chat. I didn’t want to disturb his focus. Shreyas Iyer, India batter
Taskin Ahmed removed Virat Kohli soon after lunch to reduce India to 94/4 but Pant and Iyer counterattacked in a spectacular manner to boost to India’s bid for a 2-0 series sweep.
Resuming on 19 for no loss, India lost both their openers — stand-in skipper KL Rahul and Shubman Gill — lbw to Islam (4/74).
No. 3 batsman Cheteshwar Pujara made 24 but could not convert the start as Mominul Haque plucked a sharp catch at short leg to send him back.
Ahmed had Kohli caught-behind for 24 but Pant and Iyer decided to fight fire with fire. Pant raced to a 49-ball fifty, while Iyer needed 11 more balls to bring up his own half-century.
Bangladesh did themselves no favours with some sloppy fielding, with Iyer benefiting from a missed stumping and a dropped catch.
Pant smashed five sixes and seven fours but missed out on a hundred, dismissed caught-behind off Mehidy Hasan.
Iyer was also denied a century and fell lbw to Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan who wrecked India’s lower-order. — Reuters
Scoreboard
Bangladesh 1st innings 227
India 1st innings (overnight 19/0)
KL Rahul lbw b Islam 10
Shubman Gill lbw b Islam 20
C Pujara c Haque b Islam 24
V Kohli c Hasan b Ahmed 24
R Pant c Hasan b Miraz 93
S Iyer lbw b Al Hasan 87
A Patel c Shanto b Al Hasan 4
R Ashwin lbw b Al Hasan 12
J Unadkat not out 14
U Yadav c Das b Islam 14
M Siraj st Hasan b Al Hasan 7
Extras: (lb 1, nb 3, w 1) 5
Total: (All out, 86.3 overs) 314
FOW: 1-27, 2-38, 3-72, 4-94, 5-253, 6-264, 7-271, 8-286, 9-305
Bowling O M R W
Taskin Ahmed 15 2 58 1
Shakib Al Hasan 19.3 3 79 4
Khaled Ahmed 10 1 41 0
Taijul Islam 25 3 74 4
Mehidy Hasan Miraz 17 2 61 1
Bangladesh 2nd innings
N Shanto not out 5
Z Hasan not out 2
Extras: 0
Total: (No loss, 6 overs) 7
FOW:
Bowling O M R W
Umesh Yadav 2 1 4 0
Ravichandran Ashwin 3 1 3 0
Jaydev Unadkat 1 1 0 0
