Kuldeep, Siraj, Ashwin help India take control of Chattogram Test
Bangladesh 133 for 8 (Mehidy 16*, Ebadot 13*) trail India 404 (Pujara 90, Iyer 86, Ashwin 58, Kuldeep 40, Mehidy 4-112, Taijul 4-133) by 271 runs
An all-round show from Kuldeep Yadav on Test return after 22 months, combined with a half-century from R Ashwin and three early wickets from Mohammed Siraj put India in the driver's seat on the second day in Chattogram. Kuldeep first scored a career-best 40 in a stand of 87 with Ashwin to help India put on a commanding 404 from an overnight 278 for 6 on a turning and low pitch before he took 4 for 33 to reduce Bangladesh to 133 for 8, who still need 72 runs to avoid follow-on.
Siraj gave India the first breakthrough with the first ball of the innings when he drew drew Najmul Hossain Shanto's outside edge for the keeper and Yasir Ali chopped on against Umesh Yadav when he tried to go after the ball with hard hands. A stand worth 34, studded with seven fours, between debutant Zakir Hasan and Litton Das then lifted Bangladesh briefly. Litton first struck Umesh for back-to-back fours on the leg side before Zakir hit two fours in three balls against Ashwin; one with a thick edge through slips and the other a fierce cut off the back foot. Litton struck three more consecutive fours off Umesh in the last over before tea for some more firefighting.
Siraj returned after the break to have Litton chop on for 24 and draw Zakir's edge from around the wicket with a ball that held its line to end a promising debut knock. Mushfiqur Rahim looked solid all this while with his tight technique and convincing sweeps against spin as Bangladesh's hopes rested on the experienced duo of Mushfiqur and an injured Shakib Al Hasan, who didn't bowl on the second day. Shakib defended most of his 25 balls before Kuldeep struck with his second ball, drawing an edge of the batter on the move to first slip and the hosts were 75 for 5.
Four balls later Kuldeep thought he had dismissed Nurul Hasan lbw but India's review showed that the ball was only clipping leg stump, so the on-field decision of not-out stayed. India thought Nurul had also gloved the same ball to short leg and when the third umpire checked the replays again, there was no bat or glove. Spin came on from both ends soon as light started to fade in the last hour of the day and Axar Patel brought on his side-arm angle against right-hand batters for an economical but wicketless seven overs.
It was Kuldeep who struck three times in 12 balls with plenty of flight, sharp turn, wrong'uns and pace variation. Shubman Gill took a superb catch to his right at short leg to send Nurul back for 16 before Kuldeep trapped Mushfiqur lbw for 28 by turning the ball past his inside edge and had Taijul Islam chop on for a duck. At 102 for 8 and nine overs to go for stumps, Bangladesh were not far from being all out but Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Ebadot Hossain saw through Axar, Kuldeep and Ashwin while also hitting a six each amid some close shouts and appeals.
Ashwin and Kuldeep frustrated Bangladesh earlier with a stubborn stand for the eighth wicket. Bangladesh would have hoped for quick wickets once they removed Shreyas Iyer for 86 in the eighth over of the day with India 293 for 7, but they couldn't make any more inroads in the first session. On an otherwise slow-scoring day, Ashwin struck two sixes in his 58 and Kuldeep played a few reverse sweeps in his 114-ball stay. Bangladesh also burned two reviews early in the day, against Ashwin and Kuldeep, and Ebadot used the short-ball strategy against Iyer to be rewarded with a leading edge off a hook to fine leg, where Litton gave Iyer his third life and then went off the field with an injured knee. Ebadot, however, struck in his next over by jagging the ball into Iyer to hit off stump when the batter played inside the line. Ashwin, meanwhile, had struck Mehidy Hasan Miraz for a six over long-on for his first boundary.
Ashwin did not shield Kuldeep from the strike and Kuldeep repaid that faith by carefully playing the spinners on the front and back foot and collecting boundaries off the loose balls he got as batting appeared to get easier once the ball got softer. In an eventful over from Taijul, Ashwin was first beaten by turn outside off, and edged the next ball past first slip. The resulting throw from deep third landed right on the helmet stationed behind the wicketkeeper and India were awarded five penalty runs.
Ashwin hit his second six after the lunch break, this time off Taijul, and reached his 13th Test fifty the next ball. Kuldeep survived more appeals and then swept Taijul for two more fours before Ashwin was stumped off Mehidy while going for a big shot. Taijul trapped Kuldeep lbw next over and Siraj holed out to long-on, but India had reached a commanding first-innings total with the help of two meaty sixes from Umesh.
Shakib's unavailability to bowl because of a rib injury also hurt Bangladesh.