Big picture: Can Bangladesh achieve another first?
It is time for India to dust the cobwebs off their whites as a long Test season beckons. Having not played a Test match in more than six months, they will now play ten in the next three-and-a-half, starting with Bangladesh’s visit for a two-match series.
On paper, India can feel bullish about their chances of toppling Bangladesh when the first of the two Tests begins in Chennai on September 19. But this is a Bangladesh team that prides itself in achieving firsts.
India’s batters have in recent times shown vulnerability against quality spinners, and in Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam, Bangladesh have three who can run through a batting line-up on their day.
Bangladesh are coming into this series on an absolute high and, with India potentially rusty, will hope to catch them off guard.
Form guide
India: WWWWL (last five Tests, most recent first)
Bangladesh: WWLLL
In the spotlight: Rishabh Pant and Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Team news: Will India go with three spinners?
India have largely tended to play three spinners and two quicks in their home Tests, but they could be tempted to play three quicks against Bangladesh – as they did in both Tests in the 2019-20 series – on a red-soil Chepauk pitch that promises bounce and carry. Spin, though, is expected to play a major role as the pitch bakes under the Chennai sun, so three spinners seems the likelier option. In this case, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the fast bowling unit, with R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav as the three spinners.
Additionally, KL Rahul is in line to come back into the Test fold for the first time since a quadriceps injury cut short his series against England earlier this year. He will likely replace Sarfaraz Khan in the middle order. Meanwhile, Pant is also likely to slot back into the wicketkeeper role in place of Dhruv Jurel, who played the last three Tests against England.
India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 KL Rahul, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.
Bangladesh are unlikely to make too many tweaks to their winning playing XI from the second Test in Pakistan last month. They may also look to play three spinners. Bangladesh fielded Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana as their three quicks in the second Test in Rawalpindi, and the pace trio picked up 14 of the 20 wickets they took, including all ten in the second innings. But in Chennai, they could think about bringing Taijul into the mix alongside Shakib and Mehidy.
Shakib arrived in Chennai late on Tuesday night after playing a game for Surrey in the County Championship.
Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mominul Islam, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Litton Das (wk), 7 Shakib Al Hasan, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Nahid Rana/Taijul Islam.
Pitch and conditions: Expect the Chennai heat to play a part
The Chennai pitch for the opening Test will be a red-soil one and while there could be considerable bounce and carry for both the quicks and spinners, the surface is likely to break under the searing Chennai heat. This will mean the spinners should come into play as the Test goes on. There is an excessive heat warning in Chennai at the moment, with temperatures likely to be in the mid to high 30s (Celsius) range.
Stats and trivia
- India are on a streak of 17 unbeaten home Test series, which dates back to November 2012
- Jasprit Bumrah is the highest wicket-taker for India in Tests in 2024: 27 in five games at 15.07
- With 1028 runs in just nine Tests, Yashasvi Jaiswal is second on the list of top run-getters in the current WTC cycle. His average of 68.53 puts him second behind Kamindu Mendis among the top ten names on this list.
- Pant averages 77.16 against spinners in Tests in India and strikes at 100.87.
- Mushfiqur Rahim averages 55.16 in Tests in India.
Quotes
“Bangladesh has got some really quality cricketers. Shakib has got the experience. Mushfiqur has got the experience. You’ve got a very good bowling attack as well. Mehidy is there as well. So we know that there is talent in Bangladesh. But the important thing is that we need to be switched on from ball one. And that is what the expectations from all of us are in that dressing room.”
India head coach Gautam Gambhir is aware of the threats Bangladesh possess
“We played very good cricket against Pakistan, [but] that is past. It gives us a lot of confidence, but we are here to play a new series and the dressing room believes we can play very good cricket. We are not thinking about the outcome, just want to follow the processes.”
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto does not want to dwell too much on the past
Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
