Last Updated: December 25, 2022, 12:33 PM IST
Virat Kohli greets Shreyas Iyer after India’s 3-wicket win over Bangladesh in Mirpur, Dhaka.
A dogged 71-run stand between Shreyas Iyer and R Ashwin came to India’s rescue as the visitors fought back from a hopeless situation to pull off a three-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second and final Test
Ravichandran Ashwin walked in with India staring at a sure-shot defeat against Bangladesh in the second Test match at Mirpur, Dhaka. Axar Patel has just been dismissed and the score read 74/7. With the target being 145, punters were now betting on an improbable India loss. Now, this loss could have been a major embarrassment for sure as it would have meant a maiden Test loss to Bangladesh who, in fact, made their Test debut against the same opposition in 2000.
Also Read: Shreyas Iyer-Ravi Ashwin SOS Stand Averts Maiden Test Defeat to Bangladesh
Nevertheless, half an hour later, it was Ashwin’s bat that was doing all the talking. The situation had gone a 360-degree turnaround. Ashwin (42 off 62) had forged a match-winning stand with Shreyas Iyer (29 off 46) and bailed India out.
Later, Ashwin would went onto emphasise the importance of Iyer’s knock. He said had Iyer wouldn’t have gotten Man of the Series, he would have given his award to the Mumbaikar. Ashwin was chosen man of the match.
“Game was on the line. I thought Bangladesh played really well. The game had to be won the hard way. Shreyas batted beautifully, if he wasn’t the player of the series, I’d have shared this with him,” he told the host broadcasters.
“In these situations, sometimes you feel you need to hit your way. They bowled well. But we needed to trust our defence. I wanted to get in and support Shreyas. Pitches were good, they were a touch slow. But the ball made a difference. The hosts put us under a lot of pressure. Good performances as well.”
Also Read: ‘In First Test, Something Happened’
The come-from-behind win meant India wrapped up the series 2-0 to strengthen their chances of a second straight final appearance in the World Test Championship.
Bangladesh spinners were all over the Indians after the start of play on Sunday. Resuming the innings at 45 for four, India lost Jaydev Unadkat (13) in the second over of the day.
After slog sweeping Miraz for a six, Unadkat was caught plumb in front of the stumps with a slider from Shakib Al Hasan. Unadkat took the review in desperation but ended up wasting it.
India’s crisis man Rishabh Pant walked into the middle and tried to put the pressure back on the opposition with his counter attacking approach. The southpaw had changed the course of the first innings with his 93 but fell for nine on this occasion with Miraz trapping him leg before.
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here