1st Test, Day 3: Kuldeep bags five-for as India bowl out Bangladesh for 150, take massive 254-run lead

Chattogram:  Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav picked a five-for (5/40) as India bowled out Bangladesh for 150 in their first innings, taking a massive 254-run lead on Day 3 of the first Test, here on Friday.

After wrapping up Bangladesh’s innings within 45 minutes of day three, India chose not to enforce the follow-on, and have decided to bat again, which became evident when captain KL Rahul started sprinting back once Bangladesh’s last wicket fell.

Resuming from 133/8, Ebadot Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz hit a boundary each off Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav. India had a breakthrough in Kuldeep’s next over, when he got one to spin past Ebadot’s flick and took the faint edge behind to Rishabh Pant, who completed a sharp catch down leg.

Ebadot’s dismissal gave Kuldeep his third five-wicket haul in Test cricket, and made him the first Indian bowler to take a fifer at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. Seven overs later, Mehidy was stumped by Pant off Axar Patel to end Bangladesh’s innings, where only two batters — Mehidy and Mushfiqur Rahim — were able to bat for more than 50 deliveries.

Earlier on Thursday, Mohammed Siraj grabbed three wickets with the new ball – including taking out Najmul Hossain Shanto on the first delivery of the Bangladesh innings, to run through the top-order.

Kuldeep then took over with his pace, flight, and turn to spin a web around the Bangladesh batters. On his second delivery of the match, he had captain Shakib Al Hasan caught at first slip, followed by having Nurul Hasan caught at short-leg.

He had two more scalps on day two — trapping Rahim plumb lbw and cramping Taijul Islam for room with a googly, forcing him to chop on to his stumps. Now with Bangladesh out for 150, the ball is sharply turning and some good bounce available for the fast-bowlers, India would want for Rahul, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli to get solid runs after falling cheaply in first innings.

Brief Scores: India 404 in 133.5 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 90, Shreyas Iyer 86; Taijul Islam 4/133, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 4/112) lead Bangladesh 150 all out in 55.5 overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 28, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 25; Kuldeep Yadav 5/40, Mohammed Siraj 3/20) by 254 runs

— IANS