ANI
Kanpur
Ravichandran Ashwin weaved his magic and raised hopes of a result with his two wickets at the end of an action-packed Day 4 of the rain-hit second Test between India and Bangladesh at Green Park.
Monday turned out to be an entertaining affair for cricket fans. Despite losing more than two days of play due to rain and a wet outfield, India showed intent and tried to push for the result.
In 85 overs that were bowled in the entire day, a total of 437 runs were scored, and 18 wickets were scythed, summing up the action-packed play that was on offer in Kanpur.
After India declared and managed to take a 52-run lead, Bangladesh openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam stepped up at the crease, looking to see off the day with minimum damage.
However, skipper Rohit Sharma didn’t waste time and brought his ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin straight into the attack. He immediately got his rewards by trapping Zakir in front of the stumps with a flighted delivery.
Bangladesh sent Hasan Mahmud as the nightwatchman with a couple of overs left. On his second delivery, he found the boundary rope with a half-volley, driving Bangladesh’s score.
Akash Deep, at the other end, lured Shadman to force out an edge from him. The ball went straight to KL Rahul at the third slip but didn’t stay in his safe hands, giving Shadman a lifeline.
Ashwin continued to inflich his charm with his crafty spinning deliveries. He tossed it up perfectly, giving Hasan an invitation to go after the delivery. He accepted the invitation and went for a big swing, allowing the ball to sneak past the gap and crash into the stumps.
Akash Deep returned, bowled the final over of the day, and brought the enticing affair to its conclusion before Day 5.
Despite losing two wickets in the second session, India continued to go all guns blazing with a simple aim in mind, piling runs on the board. Wickets continued to topple, with Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill losing their wickets while attempting to put runs on the board.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul provided much-needed stability while keeping the run rate in check. With some classic drives and strokeplay, India maintained their aim of putting runs on the board at a brisk pace.
Rahul used switch hits to effective use, while Kohli put conventional shots on display effortlessly during their 87-run partnership. Kohli tried to play Shakib Al Hasan across the line and lost his wicket for a score of 47(35), falling three runs shy of a fifty.
Following Rahul’s dismissal, India decided to declare 285/9 with a 52-run lead.
Scores: Bangladesh: 233 & 26/2 (Shadman Islam 7*, Ravichandran Ashwin 2/14) vs India: 285/9 decl (Yashasvi Jaiswal 72, KL Rahul 68; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 4/41).