CHENNAI, India (AP) — Rishabh Pant scored a century in his return to Test cricket as India reduced Bangladesh to 158-4 (37.2 overs) at stumps on the third day of the first Test on Saturday.

Pant scored 109 runs from 128 balls for his sixth Test hundred as India finished their second innings on 287-4 in 64 overs.

Shubman Gill also scored his fifth Test hundred, making 119 not out as India set a target of 515 runs.

In response, Bangladesh lost four wickets after the tea break, with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto holding the position with 51 runs off 60 balls. Shakib al Hasan (5 runs out) kept him company when play was suspended due to bad light with Bangladesh needing 357 runs.

Earlier, Pant and Gill had scored 167 runs for the fourth wicket. In the wicketless morning session, they scored 124 runs.

Pant made 50 off 88 balls while Gill got there off 79 deliveries as India went into the lunch break on 205-3.

After lunch, Pant equalled MS Dhoni’s record for most hundreds in Tests by an Indian keeper-batter. Dhoni also scored six hundreds in 90 Tests, while Pant reached the milestone only in his 34th Test.

Pant suffered career-threatening injuries in a car accident in December 2022 after last playing Test cricket against Bangladesh earlier that month. He was sidelined for 17 months to recover from knee and back injuries before returning for the Indian Premier League in 2024. He then took part in India’s T20 World Cup campaign.

Pant scored 100 off 124 balls, hitting 13 fours and four sixes. Gill scored 100 off 161 balls and remained unbeaten till the end.

Pant was dismissed after his century as he was caught by Mehidy Hasan Miraz (2-103), while Lokesh Rahul scored 22 runs and was dismissed only at declaration.

Bangladesh went into tea time at 56-0 in 13 overs, with openers Zakir Hasan (33) and Shadman Islam (35) putting on the highest opening partnership for the visitors on Indian soil.

Up to that point, only one wicket had fallen in two sessions, compared to 23 wickets on the first two days.

After tea, Jasprit Bumrah got the much-needed breakthrough when Hasan was caught in the gully. Yashasvi Jaiswal caught the ball one-handed deep to his left.

Ravichandran Ashwin then took 3-63 as he ran through Bangladesh’s top order, troubling the batsmen with bounces off the ground and tricking them into mis-shooting.

Shadman was caught at midwicket when Gill took a pike catch. Then Mushfiqur Rahim was out for 13, again for a brilliant pike catch by Rahul at mid-on.

In between, Ashwin bowled Mominul Haque for 13, leaving Bangladesh at 146-4.

Captain Shanto was the only batsman who offered resistance, reaching his fourth half-century in 55 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes.

Later in the session, the game was abandoned due to poor lighting conditions.

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AP Cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket