Virat Kohli scored his 16th Test century and Murali Vijay his 15th as India reached 356-3 at stumps yesterday on the first day of the one-off Test against Bangladesh.
Skipper Kohli was unbeaten on 111, while Ajinkya Rahane was 45 not out after India won the toss.
After the tea break, Kohli and Vijay (108) added 28 runs to their third-wicket partnership, putting on 54 runs in total.
Photo: AFP
Vijay brought up his century off 149 balls, including 11 fours and a six.
At the other end, Kohli was in cruise mode as he notched up his half-century off 70 balls, but Vijay was out soon out, bowled round his legs by Taijul Islam (1-50) in the 64th over.
Like other batsmen before him, Rahane was comfortable at the crease as the Bangladesh attack posed little threat on a first-day pitch.
Kohli and Rahane put on 50 off 97 balls and later brought up their 100-run stand off 138 balls.
Vijay shared a 178-run second-wicket partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara after Bangladesh snared a wicket in the first over of their first Test on Indian soil.
Opener Lokesh Rahul (2) was bowled after getting an inside-edge off Taskin Ahmed.
Vijay had a reprieve when Mehedi Hasan missed a run-out chance at the non-striker’s end in the 19th over and the second-wicket pair lifted the total to 180 in the 51st over before Pujara was caught behind off Hasan (1-70).
Pujara faced 177 balls for his 83, including nine fours. He broke Chandu Borde’s long-standing record of most first-class runs (1,604) in an Indian season.
“We both think in the same way and in the middle we are each other’s company,” Vijay said of his partnership with Pujara.
“Virat [Kohli] has been in fantastic touch and taken his game to a different level,” he said. “I thought 340 would be a good score at the end, but he made the extra 10, 20 runs possible.”
Ahmed said his teammates lamented the state of the pitch.
“It was a good wicket to bat on,” Ahmed said.
“In the first hour of play there was some movement, but afterwards it was easy for the batsmen,” he said.
India surprisingly went in with three pacemen and with two spinners in the bowling attack, recalling Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the injured Amit Mishra.
Karun Nair made way for Rahane.
Nair became only the second India batsman to score a triple-century in Tests when he posted 303 in Chennai against England, but was left out for the Hyderabad match.
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