Zakir, Liton hit fifties but Tigers not out of the woods yet

Losing wickets has been a recurring theme of Bangladesh's second innings as the Tigers find themselves in a challenging situation in their second Test against India at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday. 

At Tea on Day 3, Bangladesh are at a precarious 195 for the loss of seven wickets in their second innings, with a lead of 108 runs. Liton Das, the only remaining recognized batter in the line-up, remains unbeaten on 58 and would need to muster as many runs as possible with the tailenders to give Bangladesh bowlers a chance. 

Liton rode his luck a number of times to get to his 15th Test fifty. The right-hander was dropped at least three times behind the wicket and also survived an LBW appeal, courtesy of the DRS. 

Liton is now accompanied by tailender Taskin Ahmed, who scored some quick runs since coming on to bat. With two boundaries to his name, Taskin quickly moved on to 15 off just 18 deliveries.     

The afternoon session went almost similar to the morning session, with the Tigers failing to build any decent partnerships as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Opener Zakir Hasan was the first to depart in this session after bringing up his first Test fifty. 

The young left-hander, who struck a hundred on his debut in the Chattogram Test, batted with authority and grit and looked to be the one in control of his shots, unlike the other top-order batters on the day. 

However, following a patient 135-ball 51-run knock, Zakir departed when he slashed at a wide Umesh Yadav delivery and was caught at deep third-man region. 

Mehedi Hasan Miraz, who came down after Zakir's dismissal, could not open his account and was trapped in front while trying to sweep an Axar Patel delivery. 

With Bangladesh reeling at 113 for six, Nurul Hasan Sohan decided to ratchet up the scoring rate after coming on to bat. The wicketkeeper-batter played a quickfire 29-ball 31-run knock, including two boundaries and a maximum, on his way to a rapid 46-run seventh-wicket stand with Liton. It was Sohan's effort that eventually  helped Bangladesh push their lead past the 100-run mark. 

Sohan, however, was stumped off an Axar delivery while trying to continue his aggressive style of batting.