India vs Bangladesh one-off Test: Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara’s fifties bolster hosts past 200 at tea

Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara added 178 runs for the second wicket, as India reached 206 for 2 at tea on the opening day of their only Test at Hyderabad against Bangladesh. Pujara was dismissed for 83 by Mehedi Hasan, as the No. 3 batsman failed to convert his innings into a triple-figure score. But, on the other hand, Vijay continued to plunder runs against a Bangladeshi attack which looked like fizzling out as the play progressed. The spinners got some turn in the second session from the wicket at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, but not enough to make scoring tough for the hosts. At tea, Vijay was batting on 98 not out, accompanied by Virat Kohli on 17.  FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Bangladesh, One-off Test at Hyderabad

It was a session that belonged completely to India, as they put themselves in a position of command in this Test. Pujara might have been dismissed close to 30 minutes left for the tea break, but at no point in the post lunch session it appeared that he or his partner, Vijay, faced any troubles in scoring. The wicket eased out and offered some turn at the same time, but not enough for the Bangladeshi spinners to capitalise. Bangladesh and Mehedi were lucky to have snaffled the priced wicket of Pujara, as their captain Mushfiqur Rahim had fumbled behind the wickets. FULL CRICKET UPDATES: India vs Bangladesh, One-off Test at Hyderabad

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On a delivery pitched outside off and turning into him, Pujara got an outside edge which Rahim did not anticipate. The ball hit Rahim’s leg and popped up high in the air, which gave him an opportunity to rectify the error made earlier. Rahim’s hands had not even moved in the direction of the ball earlier when it had hit Pujara’s bat.

Pujara had moved into his 80s with a boundary off Mehedi in the 51st over, but he fell soon after. However, that boundary took Pujara past Chandu Borde’s record of scoring most runs (1,604) in an Indian First-Class season. Pujara’s dismissal brought the Indian captain at the crease amid loud cheers at the Uppal Stadium, and Virat Kohli obliged by hitting the first ball for a boundary which was short and wide.

On the other hand, Vijay continued to make most of his form as well. He looked for runs on a regular basis, and rotation of strike was the key during his innings. However, Vijay missed no chances in hitting the poor deliveries; in the 41st over he struck a boundary on the second last ball off Shakib Al Hasan’s over and followed it up with a six straight down the ground.

Taskin, who had earlier taken a first-over wicket on Day One, returned to bowl with the old ball. There was reverse-swing on offer for the Bangladeshi pacer who had exploited pace and bounce skillfully earlier in the day, but he could not break the partnership.

India added 120 runs in the post lunch session and lost only one wicket in form of Pujara.

India 206 for 2 (Murali Vijay 98*, Cheteshwar Pujara 83; Taskin Ahmed 1 for 31) vs Bangladesh.

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