India tightens its grip on B’desh as Gill and Pant condemn flowing fifties – Telangana Today
Duo takes advantage of Bangladeshi bowlers’ inability to make the most of a cool, damp morning with meaningful shots
Updated on – September 21, 2024, 11:54 am
Chennai: Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant galloped to fluent fifties as India reached 205 for three by lunchtime in the second innings of the third day to take complete control of the first Test against Bangladesh here on Saturday.
Gill (86 batting) and Pant (82 batting), who have so far scored 138 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket, were at bat with India at 81 for three at the end of the first session and extended their lead to 432 runs.
Gill, who began the day on 33, and Pant, who continued on 12, took advantage of the Bangladesh bowlers’ inability to make the most of a cool, damp morning with sensible shots.
The Indian pair took on the Bangladeshi bowlers in their inimitable style. Gill’s batting technique is minimalistic, he plays his shots with little flourish.
The short-arm pull to the face or the zero-follow-through punch through the cover that he often executed against Nahid Rana and Mahmud Hasan may not be in the batting manual, but it is productive nonetheless.
Gill has taken another big step forward in his growing familiarity with Test cricket here, scoring a fifty off 79 balls, and there are good prospects for more.
Pant, on the other hand, is playing his first Test after 2022 and celebrated his return with a fifty of his own after being dismissed cheaply in the first innings.
The left-hander started off slowly, perhaps wanting to get his eyes on things before he started, but the decisive moment came when he pulled off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz for a four during the first drinks break of the day.
From that point onwards, Pant’s dismantling of Miraz became a feature of the innings as he scored his fifty off 88 balls. After reaching that fifty, the 26-year-old showed some of that trademark Pant strokes.
Pant moved around the crease like a trapeze artist and his sixth ball over fine leg off Mahmud thrilled a sizeable crowd here at the weekend. He was dropped by Najmul Hossain Shanto off Shakib Al Hasan on 72 as India added 124 runs in the session.
