Pant survives as India take lead past 400

Bangladesh bowlers are having to struggle to create chances, and they failed to grab the biggest one when arrived, as overnight batters Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill saw India take their lead past the 400-run mark on Day 3 of their first Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai today.

India reached 205 for three, leading by 422 runs at lunch, with Pant unbeaten on 82 and Gill making 86 not out. However, the visitors made a mess of the biggest chance that they were able to create today as skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto dropped Pant on 72 when the left-handed batter skied one after miscuing a slog sweep off a Shakib Al Hasan delivery in the 49th over.    

Both Pant and Gill played positively to stitch an unbeaten 138-run fourth-wicket stand since resuming on 81 for three under overcast conditions as they took the attack to the Bangladesh bowlers, who are getting almost no purchase from the surface. 

Bearing the brunt of most of the aggression from the two batters were Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Shakib as both Pant and Gill were not afraid to use their feet against the spinners. Gill danced down the track to hit Miraz for two sixes in an over, bringing up his seventh Test fifty off 79 deliveries with the second maximum. Gill would go on to hit Miraz for another six later on as well. 

Pant, who started the day rather slowly, picked up pace and also smashed a one-handed six over long-off after stepping out of the crease against Miraz.

Pant, who got to his 12th Test fifty, has also not been shy of playing some cheeky shots, scoring boundaries with some slog sweeps off the bowling of Shakib even after being dropped once. Pant also welcomed Shakib into the attack by reverse-sweeping him for a boundary. He also struck Shakib for two boundaries in the final over before lunch.    

Gill, Pant extend India's massive lead

Overnight batters Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill extended India's lead to 356 runs on Day 3 of their first Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai today.

Having resumed the day on 81 for three, Pant and Gill took India's score to 129 for three after 38 overs in their second innings. Bangladesh were bundled out for just 149 runs in 47.1 overs in their first innings yesterday after India posted 376 all out in 91.2 overs in theirs.  

Bangladesh bowlers were not able to trouble either of the batters, with Gill playing the aggressor's role in the first hour of the third day. Gill hit off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Mriaz for two massive sixes, bringing up his seventh Test fifty off 79 deliveries with the second maximum. 

Meanwhile, Shakib Al Hasan, who became the oldest Bangladeshi to play a Test when he stepped onto the field today aged 37 years and 181 days, has yet to get into action. 

Gill and Pant added 62 runs for an unbroken fourth-wicket stand as the Tigers kept on looking for a breakthrough to halt the hosts' momentum.