India are firmly on top at the end of Day 3 in the first Test in Chennai against Bangladesh on Saturday.
The hosts had resumed play on Day 3 at 81/3 and declared on 287/4 with both Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant scoring centuries. The visitors were set a target of 515 to win and bad light closed play on Saturday with Bangladesh at 158/4. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto remained unbeaten on 51 while veteran all-rounder Shakib al Hasan is not out on 5.
Ravichandran Ashwin, the star of India’s batting from the first innings, picked up three wickets while Jasprit Bumrah took the wicket of Zakir Hasan for 33.
India’s second innings saw Mehidy Hasan Miraz pick up two wickets with Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana taking one wicket each.
Gill and Pant were fluent in the morning session, bringing up 100 runs in the fourth-wicket partnership by 161 balls. While Pant had already reached his half-century, Gill was six runs away from his half-century.
Pant then went on to bring up his sixth Test century in 124 balls, just over two years after his car crash that left him severely injured, equalling MS Dhoni’s record of most centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper.
After Pant was dismissed for 109 (in 128 balls), Gill reached his fifth Test century in 161 balls. KL Rahul was unbeaten on 22 with Gill on 119 as captain Rohit Sharma declared on 287/4, leaving the visitors with a large target to chase over the next two and a half days.
It was an aggressive start from the likes of Zakir who scored 33 off 47 balls along with his opening partner Shadman Islam who was Ashwin’s first wicket of the day at 35.
The Indian bowling attack complimented the decision to declare early with the spinners working in tandem as the light began to fade and the clouds began to gather above the M Chidambaram Stadium.
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