Tea India 620 for 6 (Saha 83*, Jadeja 16*) v Bangladesh
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Virat Kohli reeled off his fourth double-hundred in seven months © AFP
Another series. Another double-hundred for Virat Kohli. The opposition buried under a mountain of runs. The theme first unfolded in North Sound in July 2016, then in Indore and Mumbai. On Friday in Hyderabad against a listless Bangladesh attack, Kohli became the first batsman to hit four double-hundreds in four consecutive Test series. India surged to 620 for 6 at tea, and became the first side to rack up three 600-plus scores in three consecutive innings.
A double-hundred in Tests might be the fantasy of several batsmen, but this innings from Kohli seemed inevitable. He arrived 30 minutes before tea on the first day and completed the landmark, at the start of the third over after lunch on the second day, when he swished left-arm spinner Taijul Isam over cover. A raise of the bat, a hug from Wriddhiman Saha, and cheers from over 7000 fans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, were part of the celebrations.
Probably Kohli’s only nervy moment came on 180 when he played across the line to a sharp offbreak from Mehedi Hasan Miraz and was given out lbw by umpire Joel Wilson. Kohli reviewed the decision with ball-tracking showing it was turning too much and heading past the leg stump.
Soon after making a double-century, Kohli was pinged on the pad by a low-arm slider from Taijul, at the start of the 126th over. Kohli opted not to review this time; ball-tracking detected the impact was marginally outside off.
Ajinkya Rahane, who was picked over Karun Nair and returning from a finger injury, and Saha, returning from a thigh injury, waltzed to fifties either side of Kohli’s exit.
Kohli and Rahane had set the tone for the day by extending their overnight 122-run partnership to 222. They scored 70 runs in the first hour, and India scored 121 runs in the morning session.
Kohli toyed with the field and with Taskin Ahmed, who did not help Bangladesh by frequently erring short in a spell that read 5-0-38-1. Kohli lashed Taskin over the top to the left of deep point, and off the very next ball he cut him along the ground to the right of the same man. When Taskin went shorter outside off, Kohli ramped him over the slip cordon. Mushfiqur Rahim followed the ball and posted a third man, only for Kohli to beat him to his right with a sliced four.
Along the way, Kohli snatched the record for most Test runs in a home season from his former colleague Virender Sehwag. Rahane played some sparkling shots of his own, but but for most part he just did his thing – bunting the ball into the gaps – before he spooned a catch to short cover, where Mehedi Hasan Miraz dived to his left and came out with the ball in one hand.
If Bangladesh thought the wicket, which came after nearly 300 balls, was an opening, they were wrong. It was another false dawn. The ball suddenly started to turn sharply, and Tajul Isam drew Wriddhiman Saha a long way out of the crease, but Mushfiqur reprieved him. He had so much time that he missed a stumping chance twice. By the time he swiped the bails off on the third attempt, Saha had returned to the crease.
He relied on deft flicks and a variety of cuts, and went onto record the fifth fifty-plus score of the innings. R Ashwin looked set for a fifty of his own until he nicked Mehedi Hasan behind for 34.
Meanwhile, Taskin, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Mehedi, Taijul all conceded more than 100 runs with Shakib Al Hasan not too far behind.
Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo