Just two wickets away from disaster, when the tall 20-year-old Bangla pacer Shahadat Hossain walked in to bat, an average of just 6.11 in 7 Tests for support, his senior partner walked up to him and said: “You can make a fifty and I can make a century here.”

That was Mashrafe Mortaza, himself a pace bowler with a batting average of 8.5, priming up his shaky friend to take on the Indians, his team still 39 runs away from a humiliating follow-on, and certain defeat.

That was Bangladesh today, spunky, aggressive, down on their knees, but just not willing to roll over.

And, that was what India were not — not at 122 for seven, or at 149 for eight, finally trudging back to the dressing room, eyes down, shoulders too, after letting Bangladesh scramble to 238, and nearly salvage a draw, with just one day to go.

Of course, India are ahead by 193 runs, have eight wickets in hand, and can still hope to bundle out the home team in the last two sessions. But only if the dark clouds lighten up, and surely only if they can manage to rouse Anil Kumble from the sick bed, with a slight fever blowing up into a flu-like condition overnight, forcing him out of today’s game.

But first, that 91-ball 79, and Mortaza. Not very long ago, they say he used to race with his friends along the river near his village in Norail, southwest of Chittagong, his younger brother on his back. Today, he had the whole of Bangladesh hanging on to those broad shoulders for over two, tense hours.

... contd.