Indore: India strengthened their hold on the first Test against Bangladesh after opener Mayank Agarwal slammed his Test second double century, powering them to 493/6 at close of the second day, with a healthy lead of 343.
Mayank, who ended the first evening unbeaten on 37, batted for another two and a half sessions, ending on 243 off 330 balls, and notching up his sixth 50+ score in his first 12 Test innings. He hit 28 fours and eight sixes, one of which brought up his 200, and ending with the joint-most sixes for India in a single Test knock.
A timely partnership worth 190 runs, between Mayank and Ajinkya Rahane (86), helped India recover from 119/3, after they lost Cheteshwar Pujara (54) and Virat Kohli (0) in quick succession. Pujara had joined Mayank in the final session of the opening day, after Rohit Sharma (6) departed early, in response to Bangladesh’s first innings total of 150.
Pujara, who began the day unbeaten on 43, brought up his fifty with back-to-back fours off pacer Abu Jayed. Soon after, Jayed struck, inviting a drive with a full one, which found a thick edge off Pujara’s bat and flew straight to gully.
In his next over, Jayed snared Virat Kohli for a two-ball duck, angling a length ball in that slipped past his bat and into the front pad. A consultation with the third umpire confirmed Kohli’s dismissal, his 10th Test duck.
Mayank, however, continued his march from the other end, finding able company in vice-captain Rahane. Rahane brought up his third consecutive 50+ Test score (after 59 and 115 against South Africa), helping Mayank blunt the Bangladesh attack, particularly the spinners, who sent down 55 overs before they could claim a wicket.
Jayed returned to bag his fourth, removing Rahane right after the players returned from tea; the batsman slashed hard at a wide one, ending up giving a catch down to deep point.
Mayank, then on 158, intensified his charge, moving past 200 in the next 46 balls, with Bangladesh’s spinners guilty of bowling too short or too full. Ravindra Jadeja, playing second fiddle to Mayank’s authoritative strokeplay, brought up the team’s 400 with a signature hoick over deep midwicket.
After crossing his double hundred, Mayank struck four more sixes, before becoming India’s first dismissal to spin. A big shot off Mehidy Hasan fell into the hands of a diving Abu Jayed, but by then India had comfortably crossed 400. Jadeja (60*) kept one end occupied, taking the team lead past 300 with his 14th Test fifty, but Bangladesh managed to make another late breakthrough, with Ebadot Hossain’s full delivery cleaning up the stumps of Wriddhiman Saha (12).
An enterprising, unbeaten cameo by No.8 Umesh Yadav, worth 25 runs off only 10 runs, helped India finish the day with a flourish, with the home team collecting 190 runs in the 30-over final session.