India move closer to victory as Bangladesh reach 272/6 in second innings on Day 4
Chattogram, Dec 17: Seasoned Axar Patel upped the ante with a triple strike just when it mattered as Indian bowlers compensated for an insipid first session by reducing Bangladesh to 272 for 6, closing in on a big victory, on the fourth day of the opening Test here on Saturday.
Debutant Zakir Hasan (100 off 224 balls) showed a lot of character, scoring a patient hundred but saving the Test match by batting out for nearly 180 overs in two days was always going to be an uphill task, as also chasing a target of 513.
Bangladesh need another 241 runs on the final day on Sunday but skipper Shakib Al Hasan (40 batting) could be more keen on delaying the inevitable.
While Zakir and his young opening partner Najmul Hossain Shanto (67, 156 balls) frustrated the Indian bowers for an entire session and added a record 124 for the first wicket, the visitors pulled back things in the second session to regain control of the proceedings.
Axar (27-10-50-3), who had a dream Test debut against England at home in 2021, perhaps had his best performance in a short career in the longest format, considering that the fourth day wicket didn't have a lot of help for spinners.
The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury track didn't show considerable wear and tear and surviving wasn't difficult with only a few deliveries turning appreciably.
Three batters -- Yasir Ali (5), Mushfiqur Rahim (23) and Nurul Hasan (3) -- actually preempted Axar's deliveries and made a fatal mistake.
Yasir and Mushfiqur didn't cover their off-stump line expecting arm balls but it turned enough after pitching, pegging the off-stump back on both occasions. The only difference was that Yasir plonked his front-foot while Mushfiqur went on back-foot.
In the case of Nurul, Axar gave the ball extra flight and the batter was beaten for turn as he tried to convert it into a half-volley and Rishabh Pant effected a smart stumping.
Ravichandran Ashwin (27-2-76-1) wasn't at his best in this game but he would certainly feel happy to see the back of Zakir, caught by a diving Virat Kohli at first slip. The batter's defensive prod got an inside edge onto the pads and popped up for Kohi to lunge in-front.
Kuldeep Yadav (18-2-69-1) also did his bit by prodding a fidgety Litton Das to try and loft him over mid-on but the batter couldn't check his half-scoop and half-drive, offering an easy catch to Umesh Yadav.
But no credit is enough for young Zakir, who showed admirable temperament while playing a defensive game in his first Test but also hitting those boundaries -- 13 in all along with a six during his innings.
Till the southpaw got out, none of the Indian bowlers, save Umesh Yadav during a post lunch spell with old Kookaburra, could trouble Zakir.
Umesh (15-3-27-1), in the post-lunch session, bowled a beautiful spell with the old Kookaburra, getting the odd ball to reverse. Some of the deliveries that Zakir decided to leave on length could have hit the off-stump but he was lucky.
In fact, Umesh also had a hand in drawing the first blood after a record opening stand between Zakir and Shanto.
Umesh ended Shanto's 156-ball resilience with a fuller delivery outside the off-stump found the left-handed opener poking at it indecisively. Shanto could have still been lucky as the ball popped out of first slip fielder Kohli's grasp but Pant dived full stretch to his left and caught it on second attempt.
The second session turned out to be an important one for India as it yielded only 52 runs and the three wickets dented any dreams of an upset that Bangladesh team could have harboured.
In the first session though, Zakir and Shanto batted with a lot of purpose as their gritty half-centuries helped Bangladesh reach 119 for no loss by lunch.
The two left-handers showed a lot more application on a track which looked good for batting.
Incidentally, the century-plus stand between Zakir and Shanto was the highest by any opening pair against India in Test matches.
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Correspondents' dinner firing: World leaders say political violence has no place in democracy
Washington (PTI): World leaders expressed relief that US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania and other guests were unharmed after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' dinner here on Saturday night and asserted that political violence has no place in a democracy.
Reacting to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was relieved that President Trump, First Lady Melania and Vice President J D Vance were safe and unharmed after a security incident at the White House Correspondents' dinner in Washington.
Modi said violence has no place in democracy and must be unequivocally condemned.
"Relieved to learn that President Trump, the First Lady and Vice President are safe and unharmed following the recent security incident at a Washington DC hotel. I extend my best wishes for their continued safety and well-being. Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned," Modi said in a post on X.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has had frequent run-ins with Trump, described the shooting incident at the Washington Hilton hotel as a “disturbing event”.
“I am relieved that the President, the First Lady, and all guests are safe following reports of gunfire at the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington tonight. Political violence has no place in any democracy, and my thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event,” Carney said in a post on X.
President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae Myung asserted that political violence “can never be justified under any circumstances.”
“The Government of the Republic of Korea firmly opposes all forms of violence and extremism that erode the values of democracy and the rule of law,” he said in a social media post.
Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi said, “Violence must never be tolerated anywhere in the world”
“I am relieved to hear that President Trump is safe following the terrifying gunfire. Violence must never be tolerated anywhere in the world,” she posted on social media.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident “an attack on all the democracies.”
"This wasn't just an attack on Donald Trump. This was an attack on a candidate for the presidency of the United States. This was an attack on America. It was an attack on democracy, it was an attack on all the democracies,” he posted on social media.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said it was “good that President Trump and his wife are safe following the recent events”.
“We send them our respect. Violence must never be the way,” she said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was pleased to hear all attendees were safe. “We applaud the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement agencies for their swift action,” he said in a statement.
Delcy Rodriguez, the acting President of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolas Maduro by US forces, condemned the attack against Trump.
"We extend our best wishes to them and to all attendees of the Correspondent’s dinner. Violence is never an option for those who uphold the values of peace," she wrote on X.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also took to social media to condemn the incident, stating he was "deeply shocked" to hear the news.
"Relieved to know that President Trump, the First Lady, and other attendees are safe," Sharif said.
Trump has survived two assassination attempts over the past two years – first at a presidential election campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and later in Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.
