Mortaza has played a number of useful innings in recent months

Mashrafe Mortaza hit his first Test half century as Bangladesh escaped having to follow-on against India.

He enabled the home side to reach 238 all out in Chittagong and with India 44-2 at the end of day four, a lead of 193, a draw is the most likely result.

Mortaza hit three sixes in his 79 off 91 balls, having earlier taken 4-97 in India's 387-8 declared.

But it was Shahadat Hossain who rattled India in the final session by removing Wasim Jaffer and skipper Rahul Dravid.

606: DEBATE Mortaza is a fine young all-rounder - his fifty against India came at the perfect time SR

Jaffer completed a pair when he top edged an attempted pull and was caught at mid-on and Dravid followed for two as Rajin Saleh pulled off a brilliant one-handed effort at square leg.

But Bangladesh could not add a third scalp before the close as Sachin Tendulkar (24) and Dinesh Karthik (15) played out the remaining 10 overs.

India began the day knowing spinner Anil Kumble was unlikely to play any further part in the match after succumbing to a fever.

They batted on for just 11 deliveries, adding three runs to their total for the loss of two wickets.

Zaheer was caught behind off Shahadat Hossain for a third ball duck and in the next over Mahendra Dhoni (36) square cut a ball from Mortaza to Javed Omar at point.

Faced with the prospect of batting without any realistic hope of victory in the game, Bangladesh began positively by taking 20 off the first five overs.

But RP Singh, making his first Test appearance for 15 months, then won an lbw decision against Omar, who departed for seven, and two balls later found the edge of home skipper Habibul Bashar's bat, with Sachin Tendulkar taking the catch at slip.

RP Singh picked up three top order wickets for India

Tendulkar again showed a safe pair hands as Zaheer Khan dismissed Shahriar Nafees (32) but bad light saved Bangladesh from further loss before the lunch interval.

RP (3-45) removed Mohammad Ashraful for five soon after the resumption but Saleh and debutant Saqibul Hasan added 56 before Hasan was bowled by VRV Singh for 27.

Saleh's 81-minute innings came to an end in the next over when he became off-spinner Romesh Powar's first Test victim, caught by Sourav Ganguly for 41, and VRV won a leg-before decision against Khaled Mashud to continue the Bangladesh slide.

Mohammad Rafique hoisted Powar over mid-wicket for six but the bowler gained his revenge by having him stumped shortly afterwards.

Mortaza responded with aggression and it paid off for Bangladesh, although he had an anxious moment on 46 when Powar dropped a difficult chance at mid-on.

India eventually turned to Tendulkar's leg-spin and he broke the partnership by deceiving and bowling Shahadat with a googly.