Bangladesh in fight to save Test

Hyderabad – India’s bowlers led by spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (right) tightened the noose yesterday on Bangladesh, who face an uphill battle for survival on a wearing final-day track in the one-off Test here.

Chasing a daunting 459 for victory, the visitors were precariously placed on 103/3 at stumps on day four. Mahmudullah on nine 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.

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 leftright 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.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s unbeaten 54 helped the hosts declare their second innings on 159/4 after skipper Virat Kohli declined to enforce the follow-on.

Earlier Ashwin had raced to the 250th scalp of his career after dismissing Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim for 127 – the final wicket as the visitors were bowled out for 338.

Ashwin, the world’s topranked Test bowler, surpassed Australia’s legendary paceman Dennis Lillee, who took 48 matches to reach the same mark.

Ninth-ranked Bangladesh, who have never won a Test against India, are playing their first Test on Indian soil since gaining five-day status in 2000. –