IND vs BAN, 1st Test Day 3: Pant-Gill brilliance puts India on the verge of win

A special partnership from Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill ensured India are close to taking a 1-0 lead in the Test series with a win in Chennai. Pant and Gill scored hundreds as Bangladesh were given a target of 515 runs to chase after India scored 287 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in the second innings and declared. Gill remained unbeaten on 119 and Pant scored 109 as India remained on top of proceedings in Chennai heading into Day 4.

Bangladesh, in response, scored 158 runs for the loss of 4 wickets as skipper Najimul Shanto led the charge with a fine fifty. Shadman Islam (35) and Zakir Hasan (33) gave Bangladesh the perfect start in terms of the run chase with a 62-run opening stand. It took a special catch from Yashasvi Jaiswal to end the stay of Zakir at the crease. R Ashwin, who went wicketless in the first innings, would then leave Bangladesh in a precarious position by getting 3.

IND vs BAN, 1st Test, Day 3: Highlights | Full Scorecard

While Ashwin did get a bit of a stick, Ashwin dismissed Shadman, Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim, leaving Shanto and Shakib Al Hasan with a big job ahead of them. The game came to an end due to bad light as Bangladesh had 158 for 4 on the board, needing 357 runs to win.

A vintage Pant and Gill 2nd innings special

After the first innings, Pant and Gill were two players with a point to prove. The wicketkeeper had looked set for a good score when he was batting on 39 before giving away his wicket. Gill, on the other hand, was dismissed for an 8-ball duck and seemed to have got his rhythm back on Day 2 with the bat. Both men came in to Day 3 with the score at 81 for 3 and a lead of 308 runs.

The objective for both men was simple. Get as many runs as possible on the board for the team at a quick rate but ensuring there were no hiccups along the way. Both men showed just that as they hit entertaining hundreds on the day. The duo put on a 167-run stand as they put the Bangladesh bowlers to the sword.

Gill and Pant were cautious at the beginning, but they ensured the strike was rotated well. Gill was the first to show the first signs of aggression when he hit Mehidy for 2 sixes to get to his 50. Pant produced his signature one-handed six but got to his 50 in 88 balls. This was his 3rd slowest half-century in Tests.

But both men would then change gears and started to be more expansive with their shots. While Pant was being the more aggressive of the duo, Gill was calmness and elegance personified with his stroke play. Both men gave away very few chances of giving away their wickets, albeit Pant getting lucky reprieve in the form of a dropped catch by Najimul Shanto.

Gill and Pant used it to their advantage and got brilliant hundreds to show that the future of Indian cricket is in good hands. Pant went level with MS Dhoni with his ton for the most hundreds by Indian wicketkeepers in Tests.

Gill proved that he was once again India’s 2nd innings specialist, despite a lot of criticism after his failure early in the game.

Pakistan series win a distant memory for Bangladesh

Bangladesh came into the series with a lot of confidence. They had outclassed Pakistan away from home to secure their biggest series win so far and came to the Indian shores ready to serve up a challenge. And they just did that as India were on the ropes for majority of Day 1 before Ashwin and Jadeja’s partnership.

With the bat, they didn’t put up a fight in the first innings and on Day 3, they once again seemed uninspiring on the field. Catches of both Gill and Pant were dropped and it came back to haunt them massively. The case of Shakib is also a curious one as it is clear that the star all-rounder isn’t at his best in all aspects.

The fielding and bowling was sloppy at times and the body language wasn’t good as the Indian innings came to an end. There was some fight in the second innings with the bat, but it does seem like that the visitors have got a reality check and the euphoria of the Pakistan series win has surely faded away.

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