India vs Bangladesh Test: Peerless Kohli leads India's charge in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Peerless skipper Virat Kohli scored another double century on Friday as India compiled a record total against Bangladesh on the second day of the one-off Test in Hyderabad.
In reply, Bangladesh were 41 for one at stumps after losing opener Soumya Sarkar for 15 in one of the final overs of the day as their bruising introduction into Test cricket in India continued.
Kohli became the first batsman to score double centuries in four consecutive series as he reached 204, the standout performance in India's 687-6 declared which featured three centuries.
The hosts became the first international team to record three successive scores of more than 600 after posting totals of 631 in Mumbai and 759-5 in Chennai against England last year.
Bangladesh's misery was compounded when Sarkar was caught by Indian wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha off the bowling of Umesh Yadav in the third last over of the day.
Virat and co. get one spot on https://t.co/Fr8uC7AwHX #BCCI #INDvBAN
— DC Sports (@_DCSports) February 10, 2017
Tamim Iqbal (24) and Mominul Haque (one) were at the crease, with the visitors still trailing India by 646 runs.
The headlines belonged to the Indian batsmen whose big knocks were centred around Kohli's heroics at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, which witnessed its highest-ever Test score on a day bursting with records.
Kohli, whose 246-ball knock was laced with 24 boundaries, surpassed legends including Donald Bradman and Rahul Dravid, who had scored double tons in three consecutive series.
Kohli also scored double centuries in his three most recent series against West Indies, New Zealand and England.
Watch King Kohli's double hundred mastery https://t.co/hgPUUDZjgc #BCCI #ViratKohli #INDvBAN
— DC Sports (@_DCSports) February 10, 2017
The 28-year-old skipper was eventually trapped lbw off Taijul Islam, who ended with three wickets, early in the final session which then saw the Indian middle order plunder runs.
Wriddhiman Saha (106) shared an unbeaten 118-run seventh-wicket stand with Ravindra Jadeja (60) as they made hay against a tiring bowling line-up during what is Bangladesh's first-ever Test on Indian soil.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Saha scored his second Test century to entertain a raucous home crowd, including seven fours and two sixes, helping India maintain an impressive run rate of over four.
Wriddhiman Saha's fluent unbeaten century https://t.co/eOlkmXCQkV #BCCI #WriddhimanSaha #INDvBAN
— DC Sports (@_DCSports) February 10, 2017
Jadeja also raced to his fifth Test fifty as he celebrated the mark with his customary sword dance.
Ravindra Jadeja's whirlwind half century https://t.co/cXO6wI6kQ8 #BCCI #RavindraJadeja #INDvBAN
— DC Sports (@_DCSports) February 10, 2017
Earlier Kohli's 222-run fourth-wicket partnership with Ajinkya Rahane (82) set the hosts on course as they broke their previous highest score against Bangladesh of 610, set in Dhaka in 2007.
Murali Vijay (108) and Cheteshwar Pujara (83) were other notable contributors for the world's number Test team, who have never lost to the minnows in eight outings.