India declared their second innings on 159/4 at Tea to set Bangladesh a target of 459 to chase on day four of the only Test in Hyderabad on Sunday.
After bowling out Bangladesh for 388, India chose not to enforce the follow-on and went about adding to their lead of 299 runs. They lost both the openers cheaply, as Taskin Ahmed produced a bit of late swing to surprise KL Rahul and Murali Vijay.
Pujara (54*) and skipper Virat Kohli (38) powered on to keep India on target. Both batsmen employed an aggressive approach taking on the Bangladeshi bowlers. Kohli took the aerial route soon enough hitting a six off Shakib Al Hasan. He charged in hope of sending another ball over the rope two balls later but could only manage to send it as far as mid-wicket where a Mohmadullah caught it neatly.
Ajinkya Rahane picked up from where Kohli had left off but met with the same fate as Kohli departing on 28 off Shakib.
Pujara though remained resolute at the other end and kept the scorecard ticking. He brought up his 13th half-century as India declared their second innings with a session left in the day.
Brief scores
- India 687/6d & 159/4 (Virat Kohli 38, Cheteshwar Pujara 54*; Taskin Ahmed 2/43, Shakib Al Hasan 2/50) lead Bangladesh 388 (Mushfiqur Rahim 127) by 458 runs.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!