Pant took everyone on another roller coaster, scoring 93 glorious runs (104b, 7×4, 5×6), as India tightened its grip with a handsome 80-run lead on day two of the second Test at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.
Rishabh Pant batons the way people in novels live. There’s passion, joy, peril and despair and this cycle of adventure keeps repeating.
Pant took everyone on another comber coaster, scoring 93 noble runs( 104b, 7×4, 5×6), as India tensed its grip with a handsome 80- run lead on day two of the alternate Test at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium then. At near on Friday, the hosts, in their alternate innings, reached seven for no loss.
Where the match was delicately poised with India at 94 for four, the 159- run cooperation( 182b) with Shreyas Iyer( 87, 105b, 10×4, 2×6) for the fifth gate turned the match India’s way.
It wasn’t as if Bangladesh did n’t have openings; Pant and Shreyas were both dropped in the cordon beforehand on, albeit tough chances. When Shreyas was on 21, gate- keeper Nurul Hasan fluffed an easy stumping off Shakib Al Hasan.
But for a maturity of the time the two were at the crinkle, they handed superficial escape, like how a good book or a movie would, from the travails of those who maundered before.
Bangladesh had in fact aced the morning session, with left- arm incentive Taijul Islam( 25-3-74-4) rocking the Indian top- order. A conditional K.L. Rahul and Shubman Gill were both trapped in front before Cheteshwar Pujara was out caught at short- leg.
The home side broke for lunch with a spring in its step, and burst back onto the sunlit field bulging with energy. Nine balls in, scrambler Taskin Ahmed forced Virat Kohli to poke at an down- going delivery and had him caught before.
But those were the last of the good recollections as Shreyas and Pant despoiled runs, with thepost-lunch session costing 140 off 25 overs. originally, Bangladesh set deep fields to Pant, especially on the leg- side, to limit the southpaw’s brisk scoring. They peppered Shreyas with short deliveries, a nod to the Mumbai batter’s perceived weakness.
Axar living dangerously. In defending a full delivery from Miraz, he nearly handed the fielder at silly mid-off a catch. also, off a short delivery, he played a cut shot; the ball went past the slip fielder to the boundary.
Another boundary, as Shreyas sweeps Shakib to deep backward square leg. Floated up, on middle refuse; Shreyas drives the ball to long- off for a single. Caught! At the boundary. Axar perishes trying to hit a six; he cocklofts the ball down the ground, but ca n’t clear the fielder posted at the boundary Shanto. The arbiter checks whether the charge of the fielder touched the boundary paddings, but it’s all good. Bangladesh has its sixth. Axar out for 4( 11b).R. Ashwin is the new batter.
A quiet over from Shakib Al Hasan, just one run coming from it.
Pant is content in defending or leaving alone deliveries in the coming over sailed by Miraz. And out! Against the run of play. Short of a length from Miraz, he goes back in his crinkle to steer the ball to the off- side, gets an edge to the wicketkeeper. Welcome advance for Bangladesh, at long last. Rishabh Pant is out for 93( 104b). Superb trouble.
Axar Patel comes out to club. Nicely comes forward to defend.
Axar drives Shakib tomid-off; whoops of ‘ catch it ’. But it’s not out, Axar tried a film but the ball touched his pad and went straight to the short leg fielder. The left- hand batter nicely leaves alone the final delivery of the over.
But both tactics failed. Pant was happy picking bowlers off his legs for bones
Twos and the occasional boundary while Shreyas looked in control, pulling Taskin in front of square and trimming one off his hips for back- to- back boundaries.
Pant soon set up his attacking mojo, using the bases consummately to meet the ball well outside the crinkle, as he smashed offie Mehidy Hasan for two sixes over long- on( both one- handed), despatched Shakib over long- out and deposited Taijul in the deepmid-wicket region for a six and a four.
Shreyas, let off by Nurul, added personality to injury by hitting Shakib for back- to- back boundaries before smashing Mehidy wide of long- on for a outside to get close to his fifty. He also chanced his arms against bellwethers Taskin and Khaled Ahmed, hitting the brace for fours to bring up 150 runs of the stage.
The two ultimately fell within 18 runs of each other – Pant for his sixth score in the 90s to go with five centuries, and Shreyas for his alternate consecutive number in the 80s – but not before shifting the balance of the match. Know More Cricket News…
