PTI
Chattogram, December 17
Seasoned Axar Patel upped the ante with a triple strike just when it mattered as the Indian bowlers compensated for an insipid first session by reducing Bangladesh to 272/6 and closed in on a big victory in the opening Test here today.
Debutant Zakir Hasan (100 off 224 balls) showed a lot of character by scoring a patient hundred, but saving the match by batting out nearly 180 overs in two days was always going to be an uphill task while chasing a target of 513.
Bangladesh need 241 runs on the final day tomorrow but skipper Shakib Al Hasan (40 batting) would be more keen on delaying the inevitable.
While Hasan and his young opening partner Najmul Hossain Shanto (67) frustrated the Indian bowers for an entire session and added a record 124 for the first wicket, the visitors hit back in the second session to regain control of the proceedings.
Patel, who bagged three wickets, starred for the Indian attack considering that the Day 4 wicket didn’t have a lot to offer for spinners.
“Batting was becoming easy. But we didn’t give away freebies. It’s because of our good bowling in the first session, we were rewarded in the next two sessions,” India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said. — PTI
Scoreboard
India 1st innings 404
Bangladesh 1st innings 150
India 2nd innings 258/2 decl
Bangladesh 2nd innings
N Shanto c Pant b U Yadav 67
Z Hasan c Kohli b Ashwin 100
Y Ali b Patel 5
L Das c U Yadav b K Yadav 19
M Rahim b Patel 23
S Hasan not out 40
N Hasan st Pant b Patel 3
M Miraz not out 9
Extras: (b 4, lb 1, nb 1) 6
Total: (6 wickets, 102 overs) 272
FOW: 1-124, 2-131, 3-173, 4-208, 5-234, 6-238
Bowling O M R W
Mohammed Siraj 15 3 46 0
Umesh Yadav 15 3 27 1
Ravichandran Ashwin 27 3 75 1
Axar Patel 27 10 50 3
Kuldeep Yadav 18 2 69 1
Aussies seal series
Mumbai: Australia registered a series-clinching seven-run win over India in the fourth women’s T20I here today. Chasing 189, India ended at 181/5 with captain Harmanpreet Kaur scoring 46 off 30 balls. Earlier, Ellyse Perry scored 72 while Ashleigh Gardner contributed 42.
Brief scores: Aus: 188/3 (Perry 72*; Sharma 2/35); India: 181/5 (Kaur 46*; Gardner 2/20).
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