BAN VS IND: Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara Score 100 on Day 3

BAN VS IND: Bangladesh finished the day unscathed on the score of 42 runs. The third day of the ongoing first Test match between Bangladesh and India saw the visitors secure a commanding position in the series opener after magnificent centuries from Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara. Shubham Gill was grabbing the opportunities coming his way in all formats. The home side have been set a daunting target of 513 runs with two days of play still remaining in Chattogram.

Earlier in the day, KL Rahul’s bowlers made quick work of the Bangladeshi tail, thanks to Kuldeep Yadav, who returned with fabulous bowling figures of 5/40. The home side were bundled out for a mere 150 runs on the board, handing their opponents a massive first innings lead. Rahul, who is leading the side in the absence of the injured Rohit Sharma, did not opt to enforce the follow on.

The Indian openers provided another solid start as both Rahul and Shubman Gill looked relatively untroubled at the crease. However, the Indian skipper fell prey to variable bounce at the surface and was dismissed after another promising start. But his young opening partner Shubman Gill was in no mood to throw away the advantage and went on to register his maiden century in Test cricket.

Cheteshwar Pujara ended his century drought in Tests. Bangladeshi bowlers looked toothless against the Indian batters, who stepped their foot on the accelerator after the tea break, increasing the pressure on the hosts. Injuries to Ebadot Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan did not help the home side either, as their bowling was severely handicapped in the absence of the duo. India’s top-order bulwark Cheteshwar Pujara, who is renowned for blunting opponents with his stubborn defense, went into overdrive after Gill’s dismissal.

He registered his fastest century in Test cricket, his first in 52 innings for India. Rahul declared as soon as the senior cricketer reached the milestone, setting Bangladesh a daunting total of 513 runs. The hosts survived a few nervy overs at the fag end of the day as India held the upper hand heading into the fourth day.