CHATTOGRAM: Bangladesh was in deep trouble at 133-8 after India racked up 404 on day two Thursday of the first cricket test.
Bangladesh was behind by 271 runs and at risk of being forced to follow on. The top order again failed to click in a format where it hasn’t won at home since 2020.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav claimed 4-33 and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj 3-14 as India took a stranglehold on the test.
After India started the day on 278-6 and added 126 runs, Bangladesh’s misery piled up when opener Najmul Hossain was out to the first delivery when he edged Siraj behind.
Pacer Umesh Yadav claimed Yasir Ali and Bangladesh was 5-2.
Liton Das gave Bangladesh some relief. He counterattacked Umesh with three boundaries in a row until Siraj bowled him for 24.
Siraj got debutant Zakir Hasan to edge behind on 20.
The pressure fell on Mushfiqur Rahim and captain Shakib Al Hasan to rescue the home side. Shakib was out to Kuldeep’s second delivery.
Mushfiqur reacted with sweeps against the India spinners and made a team-best 28 when he was tapped in front after failing to read Kuldeep’s length.
“I was a bit nervous. I was very lucky to get the first wicket in the first over and got the momentum back,” Kuldeep said.
“After a couple of overs, I started feeling well, mixed my pace and variations, tried both the angles — over the wicket and round the wicket. I was getting proper turn, I was actually loving it. After I got injured, I started working on my rhythm, trying to be a bit quicker — that’s helping me a lot.”
Kuldeep reduced Bangladesh to 102-8 after dismissing Taijul Islam for a duck.
At stumps, Mehidy Hasan was batting on 16 with Ebadot Hossain on 13.
“Losing eight wickets is disappointing but there is another three days to go. We need to hang in there and we need to fight hard,” Bangladesh spin bowling coach Rangana Herath said.
Earlier, Kuldeep and Ravichandran Ashwin added 92 runs for the eighth wicket to help propel India past 400 run.
Ashwin scored 58 off 113 balls with two fours and two sixes, and Kuldeep 40. The partnership was key after the dismissal of Shreyas Iyer, India’s last recognized batter.
Iyer was dropped on 85 for the third time in the game. He top-edged a short delivery off pacer Ebadot Hossain but Liton Das put down the catch at fine leg.
Iyer survived on 30 and 67 on day one and, on 77, his bails did not drop despite Ebadot’s delivery hitting the stumps.
The disappointment didn’t last long as Ebadot knocked over the stumps in his next over to dismiss Iyer for 86. His 192-ball innings included 10 fours.
Ashwin hit Mehidy Hasan for a six-over long on and together with Kuldeep they frustrated Bangladesh into the afternoon session. Mehidy broke the partnership and India lost the last three wickets for 19 runs.
Mehidy and Taijul returned four wickets each.
