India take 193-run lead on 4th day: Bangladesh avoid follow-on

Touring India took a healthy 193-run lead against Bangladesh with eight wickets in hand after the 4th day of the 1st Test of the GrameenPhone Test Series at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Ruhul Amin Stadium (BSSRAS) on Monday.

Declaring their first innings at 387 for 8, the visiting side were 44/2 in 14 overs in their 2nd innings after bowling out Bangladesh in their 1st innings for 238 in 68.2 overs. First innings centurion Sachin Tendulkar and opener Dinesh Karthik were batting with 24 and 15 runs respectively.

Pacer-cum-lower order batsman Mashrafee Bin Mortaza earlier notched his maiden half century of 79 runs in the later part of Bangladesh innings to overcome the follow-on fear of the hosts.

After losing Rafique at the team total of 149 for 8, Mashrafee along with number nine Shahadat Hossain Razib put up a record 77-run 9th wicket stand to enable the hosts to avoid the follow-on.

Razib, who guided Bangladesh to avoid the follow-on hitting a boundary off a Zaheer Khan ball, got back after scoring his highest 31 runs off 55 balls featuring five fours before being bowled by a wrong one of Sachin.

Playing an exiting knock, Mashrafee was clean bowled by VRV Singh for his career highest 79 off 91 balls decorated with seven fours and three big sixes and that also put an end to the 1st innings of Bangladesh at 238 for all in 68.2 overs.

Having a comfortable 149-run 1st innings lead, the Indians made a shocking start in their 2nd innings this afternoon as they lost two quick wickets of opener Wasim Jaffer and skipper Dravid.

Pacer Razib played havoc in the tourist innings sending back both the wickets. Jaffer was the first to go for his 2nd consecutive duck trying to pull a short length delivery and was caught at mid-on by Habibul.

Then Rajin took a one-hand flying catch of Dravid (2) at square leg, again in a Shahadat Razib delivery.

Replying to India’s 1st innings total of 387/8 declared, the Bangladesh innings got off to a good start and the openers—Javed and Shahriar Nafees—put on 20 without any harm.

Javed could consider himself unlucky as left-arm pacer RP Singh got him lbw with a ball that had pitched outside the line of the leg stump but umpire Billy Doctrove went with the appeal.

Having faced just one ball, captain Habibul Bashar, who is going through a bad patch, slashed hard to a ball that was going well outside the off stump and Sachin Tendulkar took a sharp catch in the slip (20/2).

Nafees, who looked to be in fine touch as he was keeping the scoreboard ticking with some nice flicks, cuts and drives, drove hard at a Zaheer delivery that swung a shade and carried the nick to Tendulkar in the slip (47/3).

At lunch, Bangladesh were struggling at 49/3 in 18.3 overs with Rajin Saleh not out 5 and Mohammad Ashraful 2 at the crease in reply to India’s 387/8 declared.

Just after the lunch, things went worse for the hosts as Mohammad Ashraful batting on 5 steered a RP Singh delivery that went towards gully where Dinesh Karthik took a spectacular diving catch.

Then debutante Saqibul Hasan pairing with Rajin Saleh tried to consolidate the Bangladesh innings adding 56 runs in the 5th wicket stand, but VRV Singh bowled him for 27 runs leaving the team total at 114 for 5 in 36.6 overs.

Then Saleh, who had been playing the sheet anchors role for Bangladesh innings, gave Powar his first test wicket when Saleh (41 off 83 balls, 4x6) played a cut-shot that went to Sourav Ganguly who took a good catch tumbling forward (116/6).

Things got even worse for Bangladesh as wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud (122/7) and veteran Rafique (149/8) fell in quick succession, which increased the fear for the hosts to follow on as they still needed 38 runs.

Left-arm fast bowler RP Singh and right-arm pacer VRV Singh scalped three wickets each for 45 and 48 runs respectively. Right-arm off spinner Ramesh Powar took two wickets for 66 runs while Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan shared the other two wickets.

Earlier in the morning after a play-less 3rd day, India resumed their on-again off-again first innings at 10 am on 384/6.

Fast bowler Shahadat Hossain Rajib sent back Zaheer Khan, who came to bat in place of overnight batsman Anil Kumble as he was down with high fever.

Mashrafee Bin Mortaza, bowling at the other end, took the prized wicket of Mahindra Singh Dhoni (36) in his fifth ball and Rahul Dravid declared the innings right away.

Mortaza finished with highest 4 wickets for 97 runs in 24.5 overs and pace partner Shahadat claimed 3 wickets for 76 runs in 18 overs.

The ground staff did a fantastic job as they worked till midnight Sunday as this rain-affected first test got underway on Day Four today.