India turn the tide

Mirpur, December 25

A dogged 71-run stand between Shreyas Iyer and Ravichandran Ashwin rescued India from looming defeat as the visitors fought back to pull off a three-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second Test here today, clinching the series 2-0.

With India seemingly down and out at 74/7 in a chase of 145, Bangladesh were on course for their first-ever Test win against India. However, Iyer (29 not out off 46 balls) and Ashwin (42 not out off 62) thwarted the home team with an unbeaten stand of 71 off 105 balls.

Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz gave his all and finished with 5/63, but his effort did not prove enough.

With this come-from-behind win, India wrapped up the series 2-0 to strengthen their chances of a second straight appearance in the final of the World Test Championship.

The Bangladesh spinners were all over the Indians right from the start of play today, removing Jaydev Unadkat (13) in the second over of the day. After slog-sweeping Miraz for a six, Unadkat was caught plumb in front of the stumps by a slider from Shakib Al Hasan.

Crisis man Rishabh Pant tried to put pressure on the opposition with his counter-attacking approach but fell for nine when Miraz trapped him LBW. It became 74/7 when a well-set Axar Patel (34) became Miraz’s fifth victim — it was the straighter one that thudded into Patel’s pads before clipping the leg stump.

India were now staring at their first defeat against Bangladesh, but Iyer and Ashwin fought back in a gritty stand. Initially, they were happy to preserve their wickets but Iyer changed the momentum with back-to-back boundaries off Shakib in the 41st over. India got 11 runs from the over, moving from 95 to 106, and the target of 145 suddenly seemed achievable.

Miraz offered a loose ball in the following over and Iyer was quick to make room and punch it through cover for another boundary.

Bangladesh resorted to pace in their bid to break the stand but the plan did not work. Ashwin, who had been dropped at short leg when he had scored one run, collected two boundaries off seamer Khaled Ahmed and India now needed only 26 more.

There was a lull after that and India accrued 10 runs off the next three overs, but Ashwin ended the match in the 47th over. Miraz was brought into the attack as the last throw of the dice, and Ashwin pulled him for a six and then struck two fours to seal the win.

Despite the win, India have a lot of thinking to do going into the home series against Australia. The form of the top-order is a big concern, while the axing of Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test after a great show in the first is mystifying, to say the least. — PTI