Mominul Haque on Monday scripted his name into history books as he became only the second Bangladeshi batter to score a Test century on Indian soil during the rain-affected second Test at Green Park Stadium. But Mominul's exceptional knock of 102 not off 172 balls held the innings together as Bangladesh reached 205/6 at lunch on Day 4 with runs running very short for both sides.
The left-hander of 35 batted with so much patience and poise that he scored 16 fours and one six in a masterclass of controlled aggression. And hitting his thirteenth Test century with a sweep off Ravichandran Ashwin, making him the only other Bangladeshi after Mushfiqur Rahim to have scored a Test century in India.
Resuming on Day 4 after two and a half days were washed out due to rain, Mominul had started the day unbeaten on 67. The early overs were tricky, though India's pace attack maintained very tight lines, but Mominul remained totally unflappable. His intention came forth once spinners were introduced, using sweep shot to counter Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin with great success.
Mominul's resistance came after Bangladesh had started shakily, the home team conceding 29/2 after electing to bat on Day 1. He rescued the innings with Najmul Hossain Shanto alongside him, when a 51-run partnership helped arrest the slide, but in a see-saw track of wickets fallen, little support came from the other end. With terrific resilience, Mominul remained unbeaten at 40 at the close of play on Day 1.
His century has not only kept Bangladesh in the game but also indicated how Mominul has remained an integral part of this team. Mominul has crossed over 4,200 runs with an average of over 37 in his 65th Test match. He has now scored 13 centuries and 19 half-centuries, which makes him Bangladesh's fourth-highest run-scorer in Tests, after stalwarts like Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, and Shakib Al Hasan.
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