IND vs BAN: 1st Test – Agarwal headlines day two with a grand double ton

India dominated the second day of the first Test against Bangladesh at Indore as Mayank Agarwal registered his second Test double century. The home side galloped ahead of the visitors and finished 343 runs ahead of Bangladesh’s first innings total. In support of Agarwal’s monumental 243, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja scored half-centuries. India will be aiming to add some quick runs on the third day and insert Bangladesh to bat once again.

Check out the full scorecard here

Also read: Sachin Debut Special: #SachinNahiHotaToh

Agarwal and Rahane stabilise the innings

Cheteshwar Pujara retained his overnight aggressive intent. With two consecutive boundaries of Abu Jayed, he brought up his fifty and looked set for a long overhaul. However, Jayed got better of him in the next over as he edged it straight to gully. India were dealt another huge blow as Jayed trapped Virat Kohli in front of the stumps. Kohli had not even opened his account at that time. India found themselves at 119/3 with a trail of 31 runs as Rahane stepped out on the ground.

Agarwal and Rahane then put their head down and absorbed the pressure created by Bangladeshi bowlers. The duo did not miss out on any loose deliveries and kept the run rate on the higher side. By lunch, Agarwal had reached 91 and Rahane was growing in confidence at 35. The only hiccup in the session was a false LBW decision against Agarwal which he promptly reviewed and got reversed.

Building on the hundred

Post lunch break, India started putting pressure back on the bowlers. Agarwal duly completed his ton and started recalibrating his innings towards a higher score. Rahane soon followed suit by bringing up his Test fifty. Even the new ball did not prove of much help for Bangladesh as the pair continued pulverising the bowling side. Against the run of play, Rahane attempted an uppercut which ended straight in the hands of Taijul Islam. The vice-captain was disappointed to miss out on a well-deserved hundred by just 14 runs.

At the other end, Agarwal kept churning out runs. Completing milestones one by one, the opener brought up his second double century with a mammoth six off Mehidy Hasan. Indian captain gave him a green signal to go and get the triple ton. Following orders, Agarwal stepped on the accelerator. In an attempt to clear the boundary rope for the ninth time, he holed out to deep mid-wicket. His enterprising knock of 243 runs included 28 fours and 8 sixes.

Jadeja and Yadav enjoy the outing

Batting without any fear, Indian lower middle order batted with great freedom. Wriddhiman Saha perished with 12 runs from 11 balls. Jadeja, batting on 47, was joined by India’s latest six-machine Umesh Yadav. The fast bowler did not disappoint his fans as he clipped his second ball for a six over the leg side.  In the next over, he struck consecutive sixes. Meanwhile, Jadeja notched up another Test fifty at the other end. India finished the day with 493/6 runs on the board, they are now 343 runs ahead of Bangladesh’s first innings score.