Bangladesh lose top order facing huge target at Hyderabad

Bangladesh have lost their three top batsmen to India’s spinners in the second innings before the close of play of the fourth day of the one-off Test at Hyderabad.

Chasing an uphill target of 459 in four sessions for a win, Bangladesh slumped to 103-3 at stumps on Sunday.

With the track starting to break up, India's talisman Ravichandra Ashwin and his spin partner Ravindra Jadeja began to trouble the Tigers.

Shakib Al Hasan was unbeaten on 21 for Bangladesh with Mahmudullah (9) at the other end.

Ashwin, who during the day became the fastest to reach 250 wickets in Tests, dismissed Tamim Iqbal (3) and Mominul Haque (27).

Left arm spinner Jadeja picked up the wicket of Soumya Sarkar, who made 42.

Soumya  and Mominul looked to steady the ship and added 60 for the second wicket, but both left-handers fell in the space of 14 deliveries, dampening the touring side's hopes of saving the game.

India, the top-ranked Test team, did not enforce a follow-on after bowling out Bangladesh for 388 on the fourth day, but scored a hurricane 159 before declaring at tea.

The hosts batted for 29 overs and scored at a rate of more than five runs per over with useful contributions from captain Virat Kohli (38) and Ajinkya Rahane (28). Paceman Taskin Ahmed and Shakib shared the four Indian wickets.

Cheteshwar Pujara scored a smart half-century off just 57 balls following on an 83 in the first innings after Taskin had removed openers Murali Vijay (7) and Lokesh Rahul (10) cheaply.

Both walked back edging to deliveries far outside the off stump.

Kohli  fell to Shakib, playing the left-arm spinner straight to mid-wicket after hitting flat six earlier in the over.

The southpaw also bowled Rahane (28) with one that drifted in as the batsman missed it completely after going down the pitch.

In the morning session, Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim registered his fifth Test hundred before his side were bundled out for 388 as the hosts took a massive first-innings lead of 299.

The 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman was the last man out for his side on 127 with Bangladesh's innings ending shortly before lunch.

Kohli opted against enforcing the follow-on after his bowlers needed almost an entire session to pick up Bangladesh's last four wickets.

Resuming on 322-6, the visitors got off to a poor start as half-centurion Mehedi Hasan departed on the fourth ball of the morning from Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Taijul Islam (10) soon walked back gloving one back to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.

However, Mushfiqur then stepped up the scoring rate while Taskin Ahmed stayed with his captain for a 39-run ninth-wicket stand.

The diminutive right-hander top-edged Ishant Sharma for a six and then reached his century off 235 balls when the lanky bowler misfielded near the boundary to allow a four.

He was finally out, caught down the leg side to Ashwin, who reached 250 Test wickets with the dismissal.

Umesh finished with three wickets, while Ashwin and Jadeja picked up two wickets apiece.