BIGGIES BATTER BANGLA
An upper cut followed by a right hook and then a series of double blows. That sums up the pounding Bangladesh were subjected to at the hands of heavyweights India and left reeling on the ropes on the second day of their one-off Test here on Friday.
Overnight batsman Virat Kohli made it a double (204), Wriddhiman Saha slammed an unbeaten century (106) while Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja complemented their efforts with 82 and 60 respectively as the hosts piled a mountain of runs to ensure they will not need to bat a second time in the game.
Replying to India’s recordsetting 687 for 6 declared Bangladesh were 41 for 1 in the 14 overs they got to bat in the day.
The mammoth total took India into the record books as the only team to score 600-plus runs in three consecutive Test innings. Prior to this one, India had made 631 against England in the fourth Test of the recent series in Mumbai, followed by 759 for 9 declared against the same opponents in the fifth match in Chennai.
Charismatic captain Kohli led India’s charge. He took to the field in motor mode and drove around to keep the scoreboard rattling. He soon got to his 150, his third 50 coming off just 40 balls and one that contained nine fours.
A little later, Kohli could have been in trouble had it not been for DRS. Given out legbefore wicket to offspinner Mehedi Hasan while on 180 by umpire Joel Wilson, the Indian captain consulted nonstriker Saha before asking for a review, which cleared him as the turning ball was projected to be missing the leg stump.
Kohli soon brought up his double century, the fourth of his flourishing career, by hitting left-arm spinner Taijul Islam over the in-field to the cover boundary.
That took him past a couple of the game’s greats. Kohli became the first to smash four double centuries in as many Test series, overtaking Sir Don Bradman and Rahul Dravid, both of whom had hit three double centuries in successive series. Kohli's big four have come against West Indies (200), New Zealand (211), England (235) and Bangladesh.
The captain soon walked back to the pavilion after a five-hour stay at the wicket, trapped leg-before by Taijul as he tried to cut the spinner. His 246-ball knock was embellished with 24 boundaries.
Saha began with dollops for fortune. The wicketkeeper was on 4 when his opposite number Mushfiqur Rahim failed to break the stumps at the first attempt with the batsman, beaten by Taijul in the air, way out of his crease. The Bengal batsman made good use of the let off though and went about scoring his runs steadily. He got to his hundred in style, with a soaring six off Taijul.
Rahane fell to a brilliant effort at short cover by Mehedi Hasan, who flung himself full length to his left and caught an uppish shot off Taijul.
Bangla captain Rahim relied heavily on spin, the tweakers sending down 63 of the 76 overs the visitors bowled on the day.