2nd Test, Day 3: India own morning session as four bowlers take wickets, reduce Bangladesh to 71/4

Dhaka, Dec 24 (IANS) India bowlers made four crucial strikes in the morning session of day three in the second Test to leave Bangladesh at 71/4 in 33 overs. At lunch, Bangladesh are still trailing India by 16 runs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, with opener Zakir Hasan unbeaten on 37 off 96 balls.

With the pitch offering help to pacers and spinners, India were on the money from the word go, maintaining pressure and not letting Bangladesh off the hook at all. Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj picked up a wicket each early in the morning, followed by Jaydev Unadkat and Axar Patel taking one scalp each later.

Resuming from 7/0, Zakir Hasan started with a beautiful drive down the ground off Mohammed Siraj. In the next over, Ashwin had beaten Najmul Hossain Shanto on the inside edge for lbw, and India lost a review when they tried to change the on-field call.

But on the very next ball, Ashwin trapped Shanto lbw with a slider that went on straight with the arm and trapped the batter at the crease in front of the stumps. Four overs later, Siraj took out Mominul Haque when the ball moved just away to take the outside edge to the wicketkeeper.

Zakir and Shakib Al Hasan found a couple of boundaries with lovely drives. But Jaydev Unadkat ended the promising 25-run partnership in his first over of the day as Shakib checked his drive on the length ball and chipped straight to cover.

Zakir took the attack to the Indian bowlers, going inside-out over wide long-off over Ashwin and when Unadkat banged in short, he rocked back to upper cut over the slip cordon for a brace of boundaries. But India struck again at the stroke of lunch when a length ball from Axar came in sharply to trap Mushfiqur Rahim lbw while trying to defend off the back foot.

Brief scores: Bangladesh 227 and 71/4 in 33 overs (Zakir Hasan batting 37; Ashwin 1-28, Jaydev Unadkat 1-11) trail India 314 by 16 runs.

–IANS

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