India vs Bangladesh 2019: Kohli, Ishant put India in driving seat in second Test

Uniting flamboyance with natural aggression, Virat Kohli just keeps growing high in stature producing transcendent knocks with remarkable consistency. The batting genius effortlessly crafted a whirlwind hundred plundering Bangladesh into submission on Day 2 of India's maiden day-nighter in Kolkata which is the second Test of the series.

Following India's crucial declaration at 347/9, Ishant Sharma ripped through Bangladesh with a sensational bowling display laying the foundation of a likely emphatic victory.

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Batting on 59 overnight, Kohli oozed confidence right from the outset. Much to Bangladesh's annoyance, the pacers dished out juicy half-volleys capitalized on gleefully by the Indian skipper. The frenetic scoring rate highlighted India's merciless dominance in the opening session.

Virat Kohli produced a batting masterclass.

Taijul Islam was justifiably rewarded for bowling in tight channels when Ajinkya Rahane miscued a slash to point for a gritty 51. Forthwith, Virat notched up his 27th Test century maneuvering the young left-arm spinner around the corner.

Having accomplished the landmark, the batting aficionado wasted little time in putting the demoralized attack to the sword. The hosts entered lunch at 289/4, in firm command of the proceedings as the lead swelled to 115.

However, the second new ball injected fresh life into the contest. India lost wickets in quick succession with the batsmen clearly failing to counter the prodigious lateral movement.

Ravindra Jadeja ludicrously shouldered arms to a jagging nip-backer, only to witness his furniture disturbed. Taijul plucked a blinder down at fine-leg as Ebadot Hossain ultimately terminated Virat's sublime innings on 136.

Ravichandran Ashwin was adjudged leg before, caught plumb on the shuffle by a booming in-swinger. Umesh Yadav couldn't repeat his destructive Indore heroics and nicked an impulsive tonk to slip. Ishant Sharma bagged a duck pinned right in front by Al-Amin Hussain.

Considering Bangladesh's fragile batting unit, Virat's tactical move to enforce the follow-on under seamer-friendly conditions with a challenging lead of 241 runs deserved praise.

Invited to negotiate India's relentless pace battery in the dodgy twilight period, Bangladesh endured a horrendous start.

Ishant Sharma took four wickets; total nine in the match so far.

Another batting collapse

Shadman Islam was the first to depart, trapped LBW for naught by Ishant. Visiting captain Mominul Haque followed suit, edging a zipping shooter to the waiting gloves of Wriddhiman Saha.

Mohammad Mithun, having copped a nasty blow on the helmet earlier, lobbed a gentle catch to short mid-wicket off Yadav. Imrul Kayes continued his terrible form perishing cheaply to Ishant, leaving the neighbors in dire straits.

With Bangladesh quivering at 13/4, the onus was on experienced campaigners Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah to weather the storm. The latter adopted a rather hostile approach, nailing ferocious boundaries during his measured counter-attack. Mahmudullah pulled a hamstring while taking a risky single and eventually limped off the field.

Rahim valiantly anchored the innings to help the guest nation crawl back into the game. Mehidy Hasan resisted shortly before getting dismissed while tentatively poking at an innocuous good-length delivery in the corridor of uncertainty. Meanwhile, Rahim notched up his 21st Test half-century with a streaky four towards backward point.

Taijul failed to withstand the prowess of Ishant and succumbed to a lifter, as stumps were drawn with Bangladesh having established a marginal comeback.

Brief Scores: Bangladesh 106 (Shadman Islam 29; Ishant Sharma 5-22) and 152/6 (Mushfiqur Rahim 59*; Ishant Sharma 4-39) trail India 347/9 decl. (Virat Kohli 136, Cheteshwar Pujara 55, Ajinkya Rahane 51; Al-Amin Hossain 3-91, Ebadat Hossain 3-91) by 89 runs.