The hosts’ bowlers led by spinner Ravichandran Ashwin yesterday tightened the noose on Bangladesh, who face an uphill battle for survival on the final day in the one-off Test in Hyderabad, India.
Chasing a daunting 459 for victory, the visitors were precariously placed on 103-3 at stumps on the fourth day. Mahmudullah on 9 and Shakib Al Hasan on 21 were at the crease.
Ashwin, who became the fastest bowler to claim 250 Test wickets during Bangladesh’s first innings, struck twice in the visitors’ chase to take his wickets tally to 252 in his 45th match.
Photo: AP
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja chipped in to dismiss a fighting Soumya Sarkar for 42 and end his 60-run stand second-wicket stand with Mominul Haque.
Haque (27) himself went four runs later. The left-right batting combination of Mahmudullah and Shakib then put on 28 runs to play out the rest of the session.
India need just seven wickets to seal the Test, while the visitors must score another 356 to win — or bat out three more sessions to save the match.
“Hoping to get those seven wickets as early as possible,” said India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, whose unbeaten 54 helped the hosts declare their second innings on 159-4.
“I think the ball has started turning now. Probably the wicket is slightly on the slower side, but at the same time it has opened up and there should be more assistance for the spinners tomorrow [Monday],” he said.
India, who did not enforce the follow-on after bowling out Bangladesh for 388, lost two early wickets, but Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli (38) put on 67.
Shakib’s left-arm spin checked India’s surge with two wickets, including that of Kohli, who gave a catch to mid-wicket in his search for boundaries, but Pujara kept on carting the bowlers to all parts of the ground, smashing six fours and a six during his 58-ball stay.
Earlier, Ashwin had raced to the 250th scalp of his career after dismissing Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim for 127 — the final wicket of the innings.
Ashwin, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, surpassed Australia paceman Dennis Lillee, who took 48 matches to reach the same mark.
Rahim had led Bangladesh’s resistance for nearly three sessions before falling foul of 30-year-old Ashwin, who has so far claimed 59 wickets this season.
“Probably he is the toughest spinner when it comes to any opposition team ... many teams are planning on how they are going to face Ashwin,” Pujara said.
Bangladesh batting coach Thilan Samaraweera also praised Ashwin’s “variation and skill-set,” but called for a concerted effort against a top-quality bowling attack.
“It’s not just one batsman, but we as a group have to build a 50s, 60s partnership and then see [how it goes] from the lunchtime,” the former Sri Lanka batsman said. “We have to get through the first hour and stay cool in the dressing room as well.”
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