Shakib-Al-Hasan batted through an injury to produce one of the best innings of his career but his gritty knock of 84 was not enough to prevent India from beating Bangladesh by 188 runs. India did not take long to pick up the final four wickets, requiring just 58 deliveries and 50 minutes on the fifth morning to go 1–0 up, with Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav combining to grab seven wickets. A target of 513 always required a miraculous chase heading into the two days of a Test match and even though Bangladesh produced a couple of stunning performance with the bat — a century on debut for Zakir Hasan and fifties from Najmul Hossain Shanto and Shakib — it was India who managed to pick 20 wickets, dismissing the host for 324 and keeping their hopes alive for a place in the World Test Championship final, who are now placed third in the points-table.
For Bangladesh to come close to the prospect of an unlikely win, they needed their overnight batters, Mehidy Hasan and Shakib to bat through. But Mohammed Siraj struck for India in the first over of the day to land a crucial blow. Shakib entertained by playing some attacking strokes, scoring six fours and six sixes — the most by a Bangladesh captain in a Test innings against India but with just three wickets remaining and the tail in, he had to rotate the strike wisely.
He managed to do so for a while, but the pressure finally caught up. KL Rahul’s brilliant captaincy of getting the fielders in paid off and Shakib perished trying to slog Kuldeep only to have his stumps shattered. From there, it was only a matter of time. Kuldeep had Ebadot Hossain caught at short leg and finished with 3/73 — to go with 5/40 in the first innings — recording his best-ever match haul of 8/113 and Axar cleaned up Taijul to wind things up.
The fate of the match was decided pretty much when Bangladesh were rolled over for 150 in the first innings, conceding a lead of 354. And were then knocked out of contention by India’s super-aggressive batting, which saw them hammer 258/2 declared with Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara notching up hundreds. After KL Rahul was sent back for another low score, Gill smashed the maiden century of his Test career, and Pujara his fastest off just 130 balls, to go with his knock of 90 in the first innings.
The tempo was set in the first innings itself when India batted bravely and recovered from a dodgy start. After being reduced to 112/4, Pujara and Shreyas Iyer turned the tide with a 149-run partnership. Both were unlucky to miss out of a century but their efforts, coupled by R Ashwin’s fifty and Kuldeep’s highest Test score, India managed to put up 404. On the same surface, Bangladesh were floored with Siraj’s three and Kuldeep’s five-wicket-haul. India could have enforced a follow on but decided otherwise, and the way they batted in the second innings proved exactly why. They scored at over four runs an over to push for a result.
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