As the fourth day drew to a close, Bangladesh found themselves at 26 for 2 in their second innings, still trailing India by 26 runs. The hosts, India, had taken a firm grip on the match, setting the stage for an exhilarating final day at Green Park Stadium on Monday.
The day’s play saw the dismissals of opener Zakir Hasan and nightwatchman Hasan Mahmud, both falling to the wiles of Ravichandran Ashwin. Zakir was adjudged LBW for seven, while Hasan was clean bowled for four.
Shadman Islam, who opened the innings, and Mominul Haque, who scored a century in the first innings, remained unbeaten at the crease with scores of seven and zero respectively. Shadman had a fortunate escape when he was dropped on three by KL Rahul at slip off the bowling of Akash Deep.
Earlier, India had come out with an aggressive intent in their first innings after bowling Bangladesh out for 233. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Rohit Sharma set a blistering pace, bringing up the team’s fifty in just three overs, the fastest in Test history.
India’s onslaught continued as they shattered records for the quickest 100, 150, 200, and 250 runs. Jaiswal led the charge with a rapid 72 off 51 balls, while KL Rahul contributed a swift 68 off 43 balls. The rest of the Indian batsmen chipped in with quickfire knocks, all maintaining a positive and attacking approach.
Despite the efforts of Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi Hasan Miraz, who each took four wickets, they were unable to halt the Indian juggernaut. India declared their innings at 285 for 9 in just 34.4 overs, scoring at an extraordinary rate of 8.22 runs per over, and securing a lead of 59 runs. This declaration was a tactical move to challenge the Bangladesh batsmen in the final 30 minutes of the day.
The strategy proved effective for India, as they managed to make early breakthroughs in the Bangladesh batting lineup. As the teams head into the final day, India are in a commanding position and are favourites to win the match.
