Sloppy Tigers let India dictate 2nd Test

NM Sports Desk: Dhaka, Dec-23,

Bangladesh squandered the opportunity to dominate India in the second Test, paying the price of shelling some important catches and stumping chances on day two of the game at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.

India were shot out for 314 in the first innings, taking a 87-run lead as Bangladesh were bowled out for 227. The hosts however reached seven without
loss, with Najmul Hossain Shanto (5) and Zakir Hasan (2) seeing off the remaining six overs of the day to reduce the lead to 80 runs at stumps.

Bangladesh spinners caught India in spin-web, accounting the nine wickets, with left-arm spinners duo Taijul Islam (4-74) and Shakib Al Hasan (4-79)
sharing eight wickets. Mehidy Hasan Miraz played a perfect foil to them with one wicket while fast bowler Taskin Ahmed got the rest of the wicket but that
was the prized scalp of Virat Kohli.

Rishabh Pant played an attacking knock but was denied his sixth century by 7 runs as he was dismissed for 93 off 104, smashing seven fours and five sixes.

Even though Shreyas Iyer continued his rich vein form, he too failed to get the three figures mark, being out for 87 off 105, a knock designed by 10
fours and two sixes.

Pant and Iyer combined for 157-run for the fifth wicket stand to help India take a lead after Bangladesh put them on top, reducing India to 94-4, thanks
to a brilliant bowling of Taiijul Islam.

Taijul sliced the top order in a gem of spin bowling as India resumed the day two at 19 without loss.

The left-arm spinner successfully reviewed a leg-before decision to remove captain KL Rahul for 10 after which he got rid of Shubman Gill (20). Gill the
centurion of the first Test was also trapped by leg-before, trying to sweep a delivery that didn’t turn much as he expected, leaving India at 38-2.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli appeared set to rebuild the innings, dominating the spinners astutely but Mominul Haque took a sharp catch at short leg to
get rid of the former on 24 off Taijul bowling.

Bangladesh then got the big scalp, thanks to Taskin Ahmed, who moved one slightly but that was enough to tempt Kholi poke it to the wicket-keeper
Nurul Hasan. Kohli was then 24 and Bangladesh raised a prospect of taking a lead.

However that was not to be as Pant and Iyer came up with counterattack policy which worked well for them.

Their strategy also gave Bangladesh an ample opportunity to dismiss both of the batters, but simply, they couldn’t hold onto the chances.

Pant survived twice-on 11 when Liton Das failed to grab a catch at slip off offspinner Mehidy and later on 59 against the same bowler. This time
Mushfiqur Rahim misjudged at long-on and couldn’t take a one-handed catch, rather it went for big six.

Iyer got a life on 15, when Mehidy shelled a catch at gully off Taskin Ahmed delivery.

But Pant hit Taijul a six and then took doubles to raise his 11th half- century off just 49 balls.

Iyer later brought up his fifth fifty off 60 balls in his just seventh Test, pulling pacer Khaled Ahmed for a single through fine leg.

As they played with aggressive mindset, India looked destined to a big total.

But Pant’s concentration was broken when a diehard fan invaded the ground to pay respect to Shakib Al Hasan.

The play was stopped for a while. When it resumed, Pant edged a Mehidy delivery to wicket-keeper to be out in 90s for the sixth time in his career.

Pant’s dismissal also made an adverse impact on Iyer and soon after he was dismissed, trying to play an expensive sweep shot against Shakib. The lead
was then just 52, with India reeling at 271-7.

The tail-enders added a valuable 43 runs to keep the side’s nose ahead, unlike Bangladesh which lost the last three wickets for eight balls.

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