BAN vs IND Test Series 2022: India's predicted XI against Bangladesh for 1st Test

Bangladesh is set to host India in a two-match Test series starting from 14th of December and this will be a huge series for India especially considering their roadmap to the World Test Championship Finals 2023 next year. With just six Tests in hand, India needs to win five of those including the upcoming two Tests against Bangladesh and the next four home Tests against Australia. 

In the recently concluded ODI series, Bangladesh was on the money with splendid performances in the first two games and clinched another home series victory. However, the same cannot not be said about the Tests in which they have struggled quite a bit and will not have the services of Tamim Iqbal too. Shakib Al Hasan will lead the Bangladesh side in the upcoming Tests. India, on the other hand, will be led by KL Rahul in absence of Rohit Sharma and they have a line of injuries ahead of the series. With all those said, let us look at-

India's Predicted playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh

Openers – KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill 

KL Rahul will lead the Indian side for the first Test and the Karnataka lad has blown hot and cold since his comeback after the injury. Interestingly, Rahul has played just four innings this year in Tests in which he has scored one fifty. He is one of the better players of spin in the country and hence he is expected to play a long innings.  

Shubman Gill has been in and out of the Test side and hasn’t yet managed to live up to his full potential. He is coming off a fantastic run in the ODIs and will be oozing with confidence. However, he needs to be spot on with his shot selections in the upcoming Test and utilise his chance to the fullest. 

Middle Order – Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer 

Cheteshwar Pujara made a comeback into the Test squad for the England tour on account of his excellent form in County cricket and he was named the vice-captain recently. The batter has got immense experience having played 96 Tests. He has scored two half-centuries in Tests this year in six innings and this will be a crucial series for him.  

Virat Kohli recently struck a magnificent century in the final ODI against Bangladesh and has shown glimpses of returning to the old form. The right-hander has scored just one half-century this year in Tests in seven innings and he will be keen to convert his starts into the three-figure mark.

Rishabh Pant has been India’s best Test batsman in the last two years and has consistently performed in tough conditions to seal his spot in the playing XI. With the tough time he has had in the limited-overs format, Pant will have the chance to redeem his form in the upcoming Tests. 

Shreyas Iyer has been excellent in every chance he has got so far and he will have his first big Test in away conditions in the longest format now. The right-hander is one of the best in the business when it comes to playing spin and he is likely to have a big impact in the middle order for India.  

All-rounders – Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur 

Ravichandran Ashwin is a sure starter in any conditions and with no Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin will have to do bulk of the bowling. The off-spinner has got the skillsets to excel in Bangladesh and he had a terrific time when India previously visited the country in 2015. The veteran spinner is handy with the bat down the order.  

Axar Patel is likely to complete the spin duties alongside Ashwin and the left-arm spinner was brilliant when he played at home. The all-rounder has picked up 39 wickets in 6 Tests at an average of 12.43 so far and will be looking to produce a similar kind of impact in Bangladesh. 

Shardul Thakur might have to fight hard for his spot in the playing XI with strong contenders like Jaydev Unadkat coming into the squad. However, Thakur is expected to get the nod as he has done well with the bat and ball in away conditions and also, head coach Rahul Dravid has always preferred the first-choice players in the squad rather than the replacements coming in.  

Bowlers – Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj  

Umesh Yadav is an excellent exponent of swing bowling and he can bowl at a good pace too. The right-arm quick is potent with the new ball and can reverse swing once the ball gets old. He might not be the first choice seamer once Bumrah and Shami return from injuries, and hence, this will be a great chance for him to seal his spot.  

Mohammed Siraj has been the in-form bowler for India across formats and he always gives his 100 percent whenever he has been handed the ball. The right-arm medium pacer has the natural angle going into the right hander and he uses the cross-seamed deliveries quite well.