Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill brought smiles back on the faces of Indian fans with their eye-catching centuries, taking control of the first Test against Bangladesh for India on Saturday. Rishabh Pant overcame his personal battle, while Shubman Gill converted a gritty fifty into a hundred and both their hundreds on the third day of the match saw India building an innings lead. Their fourth-wicket partnnership added 167 runs as Gill remained unbeaten on 119 and Pant scored 109. India declared the second innings at 287 for four, giving a huge target of 514 runs to be chased by the home team. Bangladesh put up some fight in the second innings before bad light forced an early close at 4:25 PM with 158/4 on the board. Bangladesh still has to go a long way as they need 357 more runs to win. Najmul Hossain Shanto was batting on 51, and Shakib Al-Hasan was on 5. The day could have gone much better for Bangladesh had they been a little more accurate with shot selection, especially off the star off-spinner of India, R Ashwin, who took 3 wickets for 63 runs. Match situation aside, the highlight of the day had indeed been the emotional hundreds by Pant and Gill, who have battled personal demons to deliver typically outstanding performances. Pant's journey to this century was altogether special. He has had a difficult time since his car accident in December 2022, and the way he celebrated his sixth Test hundred showed how much it meant for him. Reaching this milestone with a two off Shakib Al Hasan, Pant stood still near the middle of the pitch, his eyes closed, head tilted upward, and bat raised as if offering silent prayer of thanks. It was a reflective moment, thanking the Almighty for his life and for another chance to play cricket. Also Read | Shubman Gill's Century Breaks Kohli's Record; Takes No. 2 Spot in WTC Centuries Gill kept himself at distance, allowing Pant to savour his special moment. It did not take much time before the two shook hands and were back embracing as the Chepauk Stadium erupted in applause. For Pant, the century was special as it matched MS Dhoni, Chennai's beloved 'Thala', record for most Test hundreds by an Indian wicketkeeper-batsman—six. While Pant's issues were more visible, it was more of a psychological contest for Gill. He had been going through bouts of self-doubt mainly in Test cricket. But with that hundred against England earlier this year at Visakhapatnam, Gill seems to have regained his confidence. That hundred was yet another proof of his return to form as he reached the milestone with a single off Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Gill started from 33, Pant from 12, as they were gradually building India's innings together. They cleared all rational thinking and went about the job of destroying the Bangladesh bowling. They did it in opposite styles - Pant, the left-hander, was far more circumspect at the beginning, taking his time to settle before letting out fully. The game was tilted when Pant hit Miraz for a boundary on the first drinks break of the day. From then on, he started to control the spinner and reached his fifty off 88 balls. And once he had gotten his half-century, he began to play with freedom, showing some of those trademark shots. Also Watch | "Idhar Aayega Ek" - Rishabh Pant Sets Field for Bangladesh in 1st Test Pant's innings was full of enchanting moments, the most thrilling of which had to be the scooped six over fine leg off Hasan Mahmud. He was also given a lifeline on 72 when Shanto dropped him off Shakib's bowling. He went on to bat with confidence and soon completed his century. His innings was soon cut short when he offered a return catch to the hard-working Mehidy Hasan. Gill's batting was a lesson in minimalism. He does not go about with much flair but gets the job done with his shots. His short-arm pull and the punch through covers, which he executed a few times against pacers Nahid Rana and Hasan Mahmud, may not look textbook-perfect but were highly productive. Then, pairing up with KL Rahul for the 5th wicket, Gill added 53 runs off 51 balls to take India's lead above 500 runs. Bangladesh had a nearly impossible task ahead of them at that point when India declared their innings at 287/4. Credit, however, must be given to Bangladesh's batting lot for showing far more application in the second innings than they did in the first. Shanto led the fightback with a well-made 51 and, though Zakir Hasan (33) and Shadman Islam (35) got starts, they gave their wickets away with poor shots. Shanto, however, remained calm and even launched out at Ashwin, scoring three sixes off him. One of those sixes, swept powerful, brought Shanto's fifty off just 56 balls. For a while, it was played under floodlights as the natural light had failed, adding to the dramaticity of the situation. Bangladesh reached stumps at 158/4 and still have 357 runs to regain for what will be an implausible win. Also Read | Lasith Malinga Reacts to Kohli's 'Malinga Bana Hua Hai' Comment in IND vs BAN 1st Test