DHAKA: India defeated Bangladesh by three wickets in a thrilling contest in the second test to seal the series 2-0 here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka.
Ravichandran Ashwin (42*) and Shreyas Iyer (29*) stitched an unbeaten 71-run partnership on the fourth day to help India win the final test of the two-match test series against Bangladesh. Mehidy Hasan Miraz bowled superbly to take a five-wicket haul but was unable to win the test for the hosts. The test series victory was the 16th win in a row in Asia for the men in blue.
India resumed their inning at 45/4, with Axar Patel on 26(54) and Jaydev Unadkat on 3(8). The duo played an eventful first over of the fourth day as Unadkat survived a close leg-before wicket call on the day’s third ball and smoked a massive six on the next ball.
However, the pacer could add only nine runs to his tally before being dismissed for 13 by Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan. The pacer was found right in front of the stumps in the second over of the day, reducing India to 56/5.
India’s hopes to win the match rested on Rishabh Pant who had played a brilliant knock of 93 runs in the first inning. But the left-hander perished to Mehidy Hasan Miraz for just 9 runs.
Axar Patel who had been batting superbly walked to the pavilion to become Mehidy’s fifth wicket in the inning. The left-hander was dismissed for 34 runs.
The hosts were all over India and it looked like the visitors would collapse to give them the victory. India were in a spot of bother with the score reading 74/7 when Ravichandran Ashwin walked into bat with Iyer to accompany him on the crease.
Iyer, who has been in a rich vein of form this year, continued his run as he looked confident against the Bangladeshi bowlers.
The duo batted the hosts out of the game as they stitched an unbeaten 71-run partnership for the eighth wicket. Bangladesh looked helpless against the pair as they managed to find boundaries and scored at a quick rate.
Ashwin did offer a chance to Bangladesh when a catch popped up at short fine-leg but the rub of the green was with the off-spinner as the catch was dropped.
The spinner smashed a six and two boundaries off Mehidy to take 16 runs off the 47th over and sealed the game and the series for India.
Earlier, Bangladesh bowlers struck early in the innings to dismiss India’s top order leaving visitors reeling at 45/4 and needing 100 more runs to win at the time of stumps of Day three of the second Test.
Ravichandran Ashwin was declared the player of the match for his match-winning knock in the second inning.
Cheteshwar Pujara was chosen as the player of the series for scoring 192 runs in the two tests which included a century and a half-century.
Brief Scores: Brief Scores: Bangladesh 227/10 and 231/10 (Litton Das 73, Zakir Hasan 51; Axar Patel 3-68) vs India 314/10 and 145/7 (Rishabh Pant 93, Shreyas Iyer 87; Taijul Islam 4-74) (Ravichandran Ashwin 42*, Axar Patel 34; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 5-63). (ANI)