India declared their first innings at 493 for 6, with a lead of 343 runs, as the first Test resumed against Bangladesh on Saturday in Indore. Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav remained unbeaten on 60 and 25 respectively.
The decision to declare overnight came as a sensible one as it allows the fast bowlers to exploit the early-morning conditions on the third day. Bangladesh had scored 150 in their first innings of the opening Test.
The match might be over on Saturday if Bangladesh's brittle batting line-up fail to withstand India's pace barrage, going by indications from the first innings. Bangladesh will need to score 343 to avoid an innings defeat. For a battered Bangladesh, taking the game into the fourth day would seem like a win.
It has been a frustrating match for the visitors, for whom Abu Jayed was the only relief. Jayed scalped the first four wickets of India on Friday, before Ebadat Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz joined him in the hunt.
For India, double centurion Mayank Agarwal was the shining star on Friday. Agarwal's third Test hundred, 243 off 330 balls, formed the cornerstone of India's 493 for 6, which gave the home side a sizeable lead of 343 runs.
Friday solely belonged to Agarwal, who in this particular innings, managed to overshadow a batting line-up that has Rohit Sharma (6), Cheteshwar Pujara (54 off 72 balls), skipper Virat Kohli (0) and Ajinkya Rahane (86 off 172 balls) in its ranks.
Agarwal's partnership of 91 for the second wicket with Pujara and 190 for the fourth wicket with Rahane were however important in the context of the Indian innings. A whirlwind partnership of 123 in 23.5 overs with Ravindra Jadeja (60 batting) for the fifth wicket only added insult to injury for Bangladesh.
