India sat firmly in the driver’s seat at the end of the third day’s play, thanks to centuries from Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant which allowed the hosts to declare with a commanding lead of 514. With more than two and a half days left in the first Test at Chennai, Bangladesh, while showing improvement from their first innings, still found themselves losing four wickets in their second innings, with Ravichandran Ashwin starring as the main destroyer.
Ashwin, who had scored a century with the bat earlier, had not taken any wickets in the first innings but grew more effective as the match progressed. Initially, Bangladesh openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam put on a solid 62-run stand. The pitch at this stage seemed to have no menacing qualities, and the duo confidently took on the Indian pacers, Mohammad Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, with some authoritative strokes. This partnership briefly gave Bangladesh something to cheer about in an otherwise challenging game. However, the breakthrough came when Hasan edged a delivery from Bumrah, which was well caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully.
Ashwin then started to weave his magic with accurate lines and the occasional turn and bounce, posing a significant threat to the left-handed batsmen. He first removed Shadman, who was caught at midwicket, followed by bowling Mominul Haque with a lovely offbreak that grazed the outside edge. Mushfiqur Rahim attempted to counterattack and even hit Ashwin for a six, but soon mistimed another aggressive shot and was caught at mid on. Finding themselves in a precarious position, Bangladesh’s innings was halted by bad light, which forced an early end to the day’s play. Despite fewer overs, India had already gained a stronghold, owing to the earlier efforts of their batsmen.
Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant both registered commanding centuries, sharing a 167-run partnership that had the Bangladesh fielders scrambling. The play commenced on time under an overcast sky, despite overnight and early morning rain showers. Pant got things moving for India with a well-timed pull shot off Mehidy Hasan Miraz to the boundary and then executed another controlled pull off Hasan Mahmud for his second four of the morning.
Gill started more watchfully but soon advanced down the pitch, hitting Mehidy for two sixes to bring up a fine half-century. Shortly after, the fifty partnership was brought up, and India’s lead eclipsed the 350-mark.
. Although the first hour was relatively sedate, yielding 48 runs from 15 overs, Pant added another four to his tally with a punch off Mehidy.
Pant reached his fifty about 30 minutes into the second hour, taking 88 balls to get there, having resumed the day at 12 off 13 balls. Both batsmen adopted a patient approach, capitalizing on loose deliveries. Gill dispatched a slow, short ball from Mahmud to the boundary, followed by Pant coming down the track and hitting a splendid inside-out shot off Mehidy for another four. Subsequently, Gill also took on Mehidy, just about clearing the long-on boundary for his third six of the innings.
Pant employed a reverse-sweep off Shakib Al Hasan for a four to reach the century partnership. Possibly receiving instructions from the dressing room, Pant shifted gears, hitting a Mahmud delivery for a boundary and following it up with a lap shot for a six. Gill too continued aggressively, driving a Shakib delivery wide of cover for a boundary. Bangladesh’s woes were compounded when their captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, dropped a catch, granting Pant a reprieve. Taking advantage, Pant hit two consecutive fours off Shakib in the last over before Lunch, further stamping India’s dominance.
Post-Lunch, Pant accelerated, rapidly moving through the 80s and 90s with a series of boundaries to notch up his sixth Test century, marking a triumphant return to Test cricket after a two-year hiatus. Shortly after his landmark, Pant was caught and bowled by Mehidy. Meanwhile, Gill continued to bat skillfully, reaching his fifth Test century, thereby compounding Bangladesh’s struggles. India declared their innings with about an hour remaining in the second session.
Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Gill, Pant, and Ashwin, India found themselves in a dominant position as play wrapped up for the day. The day’s proceedings left India in a prime position to push for victory in the first Test, with Bangladesh facing an uphill battle to save the match. The brief scores at the end of the day stood at: India 376 & 287/4 declared (Shubman Gill 119*, Rishabh Pant 109) leading Bangladesh 149 & 146/4 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 51; R Ashwin 3-63) by 357 runs.