Virat Kohli approaches double ton, India consolidate position

REUTERS - India captain Virat Kohli closed in on his fourth test double hundred, steering the hosts to a commanding 477 for four at lunch on day two of the one-off test against Bangladesh on Friday.

For the fifth consecutive time, Kohli converted his century into a 150-plus score as he and Ajinkya Rahane added 222 runs for the fourth wicket at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Kohli was batting on 191 at the lunch break, a masterclass studded with 23 boundaries, with wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha on four at the other end.

Kohli's fluent century on Thursday ensured he now has a hundred against each of the seven test teams he has faced and the 28-year-old right-hander looked unstoppable against Bangladesh's modest bowling resources.

Boundaries continued to flow from his bat when the second day's play resumed, the most majestic of them being a glorious on-drive off Taskin Ahmed's bowling.

The India captain was not afraid to playing the cheeky shot either, guiding a short Taskin delivery over the gully fielder to the third man boundary.

Kohli reached 150 off 170 ball, ably supported by Rahane who returned from a finger injury to hit 82.

Mehedi Hasan ended the big partnership when he took a brilliant diving catch at short cover off Taijul Islam to dismiss Rahane, who hit 11 boundaries in his composed knock.

Kohli was on 180 when he was adjudged leg-before to off-spinner Mehedi but the India captain reviewed the decision which was overturned after replays suggested the ball would have missed the stumps.

Further heartbreak awaited the tourists as skipper Mushfiqur Rahim wasted a stumping opportunity to give Saha a reprieve.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)