India have defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets in a cliffhanger of a finish. The recently concluded second Test match could have easily resulted in the favour of Bangladesh as all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz (5-63) and captain Shakib Al Hasan (2-50) had almost bowled them to a victory whilst defending 145 runs in the fourth innings.
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Although former captain Mominul Haque was exceptional at short leg throughout the match, had he not dropped India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin (42*) this morning, Bangladesh could have won their first-ever Test match against India.
Ashwin, who top-scored for his team at the most crucial of junctures of this tour, hit four fours and a six to even outperform batter Shreyas Iyer (29*) in a low-scoring thriller. Both the right-handed batters joined hands to put together a match-winning 71-run eighth-wicket stand at the Shere Bangla National Stadium today.
India vs Bangladesh Man of the Series
In spite of not contributing a lot in the second Test, India vice-captain Cheteshwar Pujara was declared the Player of the Series for being the highest run-scorer in the series. Readers must note that Pujara pinned down other top performers in Iyer and Miraz to win this award.
Pujara, who scored his fastest Test century in the first Test in Chattogram, scored a total of 222 runs at an average of 74 in two Tests. In what is only the second such award for Pujara at the highest level, this one has come after a four-year period. Pujara, whose last Test century had come during the tour of Australia in 2018, had last won a Test series award back then.
“It’s been a great competitive series. Played lot of first-class cricket and then worked a lot on my game, that’s what helped me score these runs. I think playing first-class cricket is really important for improving. You need to be mentally prepared and I believe that if you are strong mentally, and prepare well, you’ll be good,” Pujara told the host broadcaster during the post-match presentation ceremony on Sunday.
