Sachin Tendulkar’s 45th ton and Rahul Dravid’s 29th century helped India close the second day of the second Test at 459 for four against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium here on Monday. India leads by 226 runs.
Tendulkar (143) and Dravid (111) shared a 222-run partnership for the third-wicket when seamer Shahadat Hossain’s bouncer split the alliance. Dravid was struck on the helmet and forced to retire-hurt.
Later Tendulkar, Murali Vijay and Harbhajan Singh were dismissed while India still nurses an overwhelming advantage.
The Dravid-Tendulkar pair became the most prolific combine in Test history as their 17th 100-plus partnership helped them past the duos of Ricky Ponting-Mathew Hayden and Gordon Greenidge-Desmond Haynes, who had 16 each.
Earlier openers Virender Sehwag (56) and Gautam Gambhir (68), after promising much, fell while fending at awkward bouncers. Gambhir equalled Vivian Richards’ record of 11 consecutive Test fifties though he failed to get a hundred that would have put him on par with the great Sir Don Bradman, who scored six consecutive centuries.
The scores.
Bangladesh – Ist innings: 233.
India – 1st innings: G. Gambhir c Mushfiqur b Shafiul 68 (83b, 9x4), V. Sehwag c Mushfiqur b Shahadat 56 (63b, 8x4), R. Dravid (retd. hurt) 111, (188b, 12x4), S. Tendulkar c Kayes b Shakib 143 (182b, 13x4, 1x6), M. Vijay c Mahmudullah b Shakib 30 (49b, 3x4), M.S. Dhoni (batting) 22 (38b, 2x4), Harbhajan c Mushfiqur b Shafiul 13 (23b, 2x4). Extras (b-1, lb-5, w-1, nb-9): 16. Total (for four wickets in 102.5 overs): 459.
Fall of wickets: 1-103 (Sehwag), 2-146 (Gambhir), 3-421 (Tendulkar), 4-436 (Vijay), 5-459 (Harbhajan).
Bangladesh bowling: Shafiul 17.5-1-70-2, Shahadat 19-2-71-1, Rubel 23-0-106-0, Shakib 27-0-108-2, Ashraful 4-0-26-0, Mahmudullah 11-0-63-0, Siddique 1-0-9-0.
