I don't believe Bangladesh will trouble India much: Dinesh Karthik

The Indian cricket team is set to return to action after a rare 43-day break as they host Bangladesh for a highly-anticipated two-match Test series. The first of the two Tests gets underway on Thursday, September 19, at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Bangladesh are coming into the tour on the back of a historic first-ever Test series win against Pakistan earlier this month. Najmul Hossain Shanto's men shocked the cricket fraternity when they whitewashed Pakistan 2-0 on their home soil. After this monumental result, legendary Indian cricketers like Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina have advised India not to take Bangladesh lightly. However, Dinesh Karthik chose to tread a different route as he opined that the Bangla Tigers won't be able to cause too much concerns for India.

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"I personally don't think that Bangladesh will give India a tough time. Beating India in India is a humongous task, and although Bangladesh has played well in Pakistan, I don't believe they'll trouble India much," Karthik remarked in a video on Cricbuzz.

India will be returning to action for the first time since their 0-2 ODI series defeat against Sri Lanka last month. Rohit Sharma and Co. will resume their journey in the World Test Championship (WTC), looking to consolidate their position at the top of the standings. Meanwhile, Bangladesh's triumph against Pakistan has catapulted them to No. 4 on the table.

Taking a look at India-Bangladesh Head-To-Head score in Test cricket

Historically, India have dominated Bangladesh in the red-ball circuit. Since 2000, the two teams have faced each other on 13 occasions, with India winning 11 matches and Bangladesh yet to register their first victory. The only two draws came under the leadership of Habibul Bashar in 2007 and Mushfiqur Rahim in 2015.

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India and Bangladesh last played a Test series in 2022. The former won the first Test in Chittagong by 188 runs and the second in Dhaka by three wickets.