India vs Bangladesh Match Preview, 1st Test

India’s 10 Tests marathon will begin with a two-match series against Bangladesh, starting September 19 in MA Chidambaram Stadium. Keeping the high-voltage five-match Australia series in mind, the Rohit Sharma-led side will be looking to fill in the gaps but the captain has stated that they are not looking at the Bangladesh series as a dress rehearsal and will be fighting for a win keeping the World Test Championship points table in mind.

Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are set to make their return to the playing XI for India. The duo is expected to replace Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel, who have done well for the national team in the series against England earlier in the year. However, the team management is likely to keep their faith in the experienced players but Rohit recently talked about how those two cricketers and Yashasvi Jaiswal can dominate in all three formats of the game.

Also Read - Jaiswal, Sarfaraz and Jurel have everything that is required to be a top player for India: Rohit Sharma

The focus will be on star batter Virat Kohli, who will be playing his first Test match in almost nine months. He skipped the England series for the birth of his second child and the Duleep Trophy to remain fresh for all ten Test matches. Rohit and Jaiswal on the other hand, have done a fantastic job for India in the series against England but Bangladesh spinners can trouble them in the series.

The Najmul Shanto-led side recently stunned Pakistan in the two-match Test series and since then, the captain has noted that his team can beat India away from home. Notably, Bangladesh have never picked up a win against India in red-ball cricket, but their squad has good depth and experience this time, which can trouble the hosts.

Also Read - Najmul Hossain Shanto hopes to build on Pakistan triumph

Players like Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim will be key for the visitors while Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s form would be vital as well. He was their star performer in the series against Pakistan.

Match Details:

MA Chidambaram Stadium - Pitch Report

It will be pretty hot and humid in Chennai. It will not be easy for any team and spinners are expected to play a major role. Batting first will be the ideal thing to do as it will get tougher with time. 

Head-To-Head Records

IND vs BAN Probable Playing XIs
India:

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will be making their return. Other than that, no changes are expected in the batting unit. Among bowlers, Axar Patel would likely be preferred ahead of Kuldeep Yadav while Akash Deep can be picked ahead of Mohammed Siraj to manage the latter’s workload management.

Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep.

Bangladesh:

Bangladesh are unlikely to make any changes to their winning combination. The seniors will have to take responsibility as the series against India won’t be any easy.

Predicted XI: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana.