1st Test: Gill and Pant centuries help India set target of 515 runs for Bangladesh

Chennai, Sep 21 (IANS) Fantastic centuries from Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant helped India declare their second innings at 287/4 and set Bangladesh a mammoth target of 515 runs on day three of the first Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.

Gill, after bagging a duck in the first innings, led India’s charge with a fine 119 not out, laced with ten fours and four sixes. Pant, playing in his comeback Test match, made a superb 109 – where he took his time before unleashing his attacking shots in his knock laced with 13 fours and four sixes.

The duo shared an enterprising 167-run stand for the fourth wicket to demoralise the Bangladeshi bowlers. The main interest in the second session was always going to be about when India would declare its innings.

Pant got to his hundred first – slamming Shakib Al Hasan down the ground for six and swept him for four more. He then cut Mehidy Hasan Miraz for four more before getting his hundred in 124 balls with a brace driven wide of long-off.

With his sixth Test century, Pant now has equalled MS Dhoni for the joint-most centuries hit by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter in the longer format. After hitting two quick boundaries, Pant fell in a bid to attack more as he hit straight back to Mehidy in a caught and bowled dismissal.

Gill made use of Shakib’s poor lengths to get consecutive fours, before getting his third Test hundred in his last five Tests via 161 balls. KL Rahul also played four free-flowing boundaries to be 21 not out, before Rohit Sharma came out of dressing room and called the batters in to declare India’s second innings.

Previously, the first session on day three turned out to be another brilliant session for India as Gill and Pant took a demoralised Bangladesh bowling line-up to cleaners by making 128 runs in 24 overs on a cloudy day at Chepauk.

Both Gill and Pant have looked untroubled, as they took their time and then unleashed their shots to pile more misery on Bangladesh – barring a dropped chance of the latter on 72 by Najmul Hossain Shanto off Shakib just before lunch.

In the morning, with lack of lateral movement on offer for Bangladesh, Pant played two controlled pulls for boundaries, before Gill danced down the pitch to thump Mehidy for back-to-back sixes and get his Test fifty in style.

Pant and Gill were consciously looking to play for a long time, leading to a little drop in the scoring rate. But Pant broke a 46-ball boundary drought by dancing down the pitch off Mehidy Hasan to smack a four straight down the ground.

Pant continued to waltz down the pitch off Mehidy – this time dispatching him for a one-handed six before reaching his fifty. There was no respite for Bangladesh as Gill continued to dazzle with his down the ground and pull shots, while Pant was terrific in his loft, reverse-sweep, backfoot punch, and heave shots to dispatch bowlers all over the park.

After being dropped on 72 by Shanto off an off-colour Shakib, Pant brought out the sweep and down the ground shot over long-off to take a brace of fours and push the match totally out of Bangladesh’s reach.

Brief Scores: India 376 and 287/4 dec in 64 overs (Shubman Gill 119 not out, Rishabh Pant 109; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 2-103) lead Bangladesh 149 by 514 runs

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