DHAKA (AFP) – Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer hit aggressive half-centuries yesterday to come within breathing distance of Bangladesh’s first innings total after pulling their side out of trouble at the second Test in Dhaka.
Pant hit an unbeaten 86 off 89 balls and Iyer was batting on 58 as India reached 226-4 at tea on the second day, trailing Bangladesh’s first innings total by only one run.
Taijul Islam claimed three early wickets in the second morning before Taskin Ahmed had Virat Kohli caught behind for 24 in the post-lunch session, leaving India in serious trouble after resuming on 19-0.
But Pant and Iyer launched a counterattack to add 132 runs in their unbroken fifth wicket stand to put the pressure back on their opponents.
Pant has been at his level best, hitting five sixes and six fours so far and completing his 11th Test fifty off 49 balls in the process.
Bangladesh missed some key opportunities to take control of the Match.
Mehidy Hasan dropped Iyer on 19 off Taskin before wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan missed a simple stumping chance off Shakib soon after.
The first session of the day belonged to Bangladesh as Taijul had KL Rahul (10) and Shubman Gill (20) out leg-before in successive overs before he dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara for 24.
Rahul was initially declared not out but the decision was overturned on review.
Gill walked off after he was struck plumb in front by Taijul in the next over.
The left-arm spinner then broke the fledging 34-run partnership between Pujara and Kohli just as the duo looked set.
Pujara, who completed 7,000 Test runs during the innings, was caught by Mominul Haque at forward short leg.
Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin claimed four wickets apiece on day one as India bowled out Bangladesh for a modest total in the first innings.
India won the first Test of the two-match series by 188 runs in Chittagong.
