CHITTAGONG, Dec 19: Mohammad Ashraful hammered a blistering century, but Bangladesh still faced an innings defeat on the third day of the second and final Test against India here on Sunday.

The diminutive middle-order batsman, 20, flayed the Indian attack as he smashed three sixes and 24 fours to score 158 not out, the highest by a Bangladeshi batsman in Test cricket. But Bangladesh failed to avoid a follow-on despite Ashraful's second hundred in 23 Tests as they were all out for 333 in their first innings in reply to India's mammoth total of 540.

India restored their bowling pride when they reduced Bangladesh to a paltry 118-9 in the second innings at stumps. The hosts still needed 89 more runs with just one wicket in hand to make India bat again.

Left-arm fast bowler Irfan Pathan (5-32) overcame his mediocre first-innings performance with his third five-wicket haul to virtually ensure an Indian sweep of the two-match series.

India won the first Test by an innings and 140 runs. The first two sessions belonged to Ashraful, who played a quality knock under pressure to the delight of the home fans. He took just nine scoring strokes to go from 74 to the three-figure mark.

He reached his century with bold strokes, reverse-sweeping and flicking off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for two successive fours in the afternoon session. Ashraful raised his bat and helmet in celebration and then took off his gloves and kissed the pitch.

He continued to bat aggressively, eventually surpassing Aminul Islam's Bangladeshi record of 145 scored in the country's inaugural Test against India in 2000. The Indian bowlers struggled for wickets in the first two sessions as Ashraful kept one end intact and played shots with authority against both pace and spin.

Ashraful, who became the youngest-ever batsman to score a Test century on debut in 2001 against Sri Lanka, received valuable support from skipper Habibul Bashar (22), Aftab Ahmed (43) and Khaled Mashud (22).

He put on 70 for the fourth wicket with Bashar and 115 for the next with Ahmed and 60 for the seventh with Mashud, who was unlucky to be given caught behind after making no contact with the ball.

Ashraful and Mashud are now among four Bangladeshi batsmen to complete 1,000 Test runs. The others are Bashar and Javed Omar. Ashraful was engaged in a fascinating battle with the Indian pacemen in the opening hour, hooking and pulling with confidence when tested with bouncers.

He made his intentions clear when he hooked Zaheer Khan for the first six of the innings and then went on to punish the same bowler, hooking and then steering for two fours in an over. Even Pathan was not spared as he was twice driven through the covers and then flicked through mid-wicket for three successive fours by Ashraful.

The rampaging Bangladeshi batsman offered just one chance in his 194-ball knock, but only after having completed his century. He was on 103 when he flicked Zaheer to mid-wicket where Venkatsai Laxman dropped the catch diving to his right.

SCOREBOARD