Magnificent Pant, steady Iyer take India to 226 for 4 at tea

Mirpur, Dec 23 (PTI) Rishabh Pant once again brought his ‘A’ game to the fore with a counter-attacking unbeaten 86 as India reached 226 for four at tea on the second day of the second Test to wrest the control back from Bangladesh, here on Friday.

Pant had the dependable Shreyas Iyer (58 batting) for company as they added 132 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket stand with as many as 140 runs scored in the sedond session of the day.

India now trail Bangladesh by just one run and are bracing up for a four-day finish with a sizeable first innings lead.

Pant literally manhandled the Bangladeshi spin troika by smashing five sixes — two off Taijul Islam, a couple off Mehidy Hasan Miraz and one off Shakib Al Hasan.

There were six boundaries too in his 89-ball knock so far. Pant is approaching his sixth Test hundred.

India were in trouble at 94 for four when Virat Kohli (24, 73 balls) once again nicked one off Taskin Ahmed outside the off-stump channel before Pant propelled the Indian innings.

Taijul (3/55), the left-arm spinner who had somewhat rocked India on the second morning with wickets of skipper KL Rahul (10), Shubman Gill (20) and Cheteshwar Pujara (24), was made to look pedestrian by the maverick keeper-batter from Rourkee.

He hammered Taijul into submission by repeatedly dancing down the track and carting him either in the arc between the mid-wicket and long-on or by lofting him down the ground.

The most exhilarating one was a one-handed down-the-ground shot off rival captain Shakib. And it was not at all surprising when he repeated the stuff off Miraz over long-on for a 100-metre long maximum.

The Bangladeshi bowlers, who were pumped up at the lunch break, had drooped shoulders by the time tea was called.

Pant’s beast mode did rub off on Iyer as he also lofted Miraz for his first six and duly completed his second half-century of the series with a single.

Earlier, having misread the track on day one, Rahul paid the price for his ultra defensive mindset on a pitch that offered fair bit of turn on the opening day itself.

Not for once during his 45-ball stay did he look comfortable, save the cover driven boundary off a seamer at the start of the day. Gill, on the other end, looked more assured even as Taijul kept his deliveries on good length and bowled a nice trajectory.

The delivery that got Rahul, seemed like an armer that came in with the angle and then straightened enough to trap him in-front of the wickets. Umpire had dismissed the LBW plea but Bangladesh got the decision in their favour after taking DRS review.

In case of Gill, it was more of a straightforward decision where he was caught plumb as he missed the straighter one, while attempting a sweep shot.

Pujara looked assured till the time he was at the crease but with the deliveries stopping and turning, there was always the danger of negotiating that ball which would send him back.