Five-wicket Pathan lauds Ashraful

"He (Ashraful) batted superbly. He is a very good batsman," the Indian fast bowler said of the Bangladeshi batsman's unbeaten 158.

Indian fast bowler Irfan Pathan on Sunday praised Bangladeshi batsman Mohammad Ashraful for scoring a superb century on the third day of the second and final Test.

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"He (Ashraful) batted superbly. He is a very good batsman," Pathan said after the Bangladeshi batsman had punished the Indian bowlers during his unbeaten 158.

Ashraful's second Test hundred was the highest by a Bangladeshi batsman in Test cricket, surpassing the previous best of 145 by Aminul Islam against India in the inaugural Test at Dhaka in 2000.

Bangladesh were facing a big defeat despite Ashraful's century as they reached 118-9 in their second innings at stumps after conceding a lead of 207.

The left-arm paceman said he could not perform up to expectations against an Ashraful-inspired Bangladesh in the first two sessions because he tried "too hard" for wickets under pressure.

"Sometimes when you try too hard for wickets and don't get them, the pressure builds up. That's what happened in the morning," said Pathan, who could dismiss only two tail-enders in the first innings.