Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara were instrumental in India’s commanding performance during the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong, each registering centuries that significantly strengthened their position. By the end of the third day, India declared their second innings at 258-2, setting an imposing target of 513 runs for the hosts.
Bangladesh struggled in their first innings, managing just 150 runs, which placed India in a dominant position to secure the win. Skipper KL Rahul made the strategic decision to declare after Pujara reached his 19th Test century with a boundary off Taijul Islam, shortly after India’s lead surpassed 500 runs. Pujara’s unbeaten 102 included 13 fours, while Virat Kohli contributed 19 not out.
Earlier in the innings, Gill celebrated his maiden Test century before being dismissed for 110 by Mehidy Hasan. His innings included 10 fours and three sixes, and he formed a crucial 113-run partnership for the second wicket with Pujara. Rahul, however, fell to Khaled Ahmed after scoring 23, caught at fine leg.
As play concluded for the day, Bangladesh had managed to progress to 42 without loss in their second innings. Najmul Hossain and debutant Zakir Hasan will resume on 25 and 17 respectively, facing a daunting requirement of 471 runs to turn the match around.
India had earlier taken a significant first innings lead of 254 runs after bowling Bangladesh out for a low score. Although they had the option to enforce the follow-on, the decision was made to allow their batsmen another turn at the crease. Kuldeep Yadav led the bowling efforts for India, achieving a career-best 5-40, which marked his third five-wicket haul in Tests. The Indian bowlers wasted little time in dismantling the Bangladesh batting lineup, needing under an hour to wrap up the innings with Bangladesh resuming on 133-8.
The tail end of Bangladesh’s batting order was brought to a close with Axar Patel taking the last wicket of Mehidy Hasan, who had contributed a resilient 25 runs. Mohammed Siraj also played a key role, recording figures of 3-20. Mushfiqur Rahim was the highest scorer for Bangladesh in that innings, with 28 runs before falling victim to Kuldeep’s bowling.
In India’s first innings, Shreyas Iyer and Ravichandran Ashwin also made notable contributions with scores of 86 and 58, respectively. The Bangladesh bowling attack saw Mehidy Hasan take 4-112, while his teammate Taijul captured 4-133.
With Bangladesh facing the uphill task of chasing down a historic total, the match heads into its fourth day with India well ahead and looking poised for victory.