Indian Cricket Team’s Test season will begin with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. India will look to sharpen their skills with one eye on the five-match Test series against Australia whereas Najmul Hossain Shanto-led Bangladesh side will have a point to prove in this series. The Bangla Tigers will be confident going into the series after registering a historic Test series win over Pakistan away from home.
Bangladesh have never registered a win over India in red-ball cricket but Shanto believes that they have enough depth in talent and skillset to stun the heavyweights at home. They have a potent squad with plenty of youngsters and a few experienced folks in the mix.
The hosts have problems of plenty as Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have returned to the red-ball setup. The two experienced stars may replace the likes of Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan in the starting eleven. India may field three specialist spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav given the nature of the pitch at Chepauk.
Match Details
The opening clash of the two-match Test series will be played at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The pitch over the years has favoured spinners. We expect both teams to be tempted to play three spinners on this deck.
The Sports18 Network will broadcast the game live in India while fans can also live stream the action on Jio Cinema. Live coverage will begin from 9:30 AM IST.
Pitch Report and Weather Forecast
The pitch is expected to be a traditional Chepauk wicket with a lot of assistance for the spinners as the match progresses. The weather will be very hot and humid in Chennai which will also play a role in how the pitch behaves. Therefore, both teams will fancy batting first on this pitch as batting is expected to get difficult later with all the wear and tear.
As per AccuWeather, there’s a 41% probability of rain on the first day’s play with a few thunderstorms scattered here and there. The weather forecast for the upcoming days also predicts some disruptions due to rain.
Head-to-Head Record
India and Bangladesh have faced each other 13 times in red-ball cricket with the Men in Blue winning 11 times. The other two matches have ended in draws. Bangladesh will be aiming to register their first win in this format against India.
India have a pretty positive record in Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium. The Men in Blue have featured in 34 Tests at the venue, winning 15 of them. They have also drawn 11 Tests while suffering defeat in eight matches.
Team News
India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed in the pre-match press conference that KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will be replacing Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel in the starting XI. The hosts are expected to field three specialist spinners – Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep. Gambhir will look to maintain a level of trust in Yashasvi Jaiswal while Shubman Gill’s role at number three will be extremely crucial. However, all eyes will be on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who will lead India’s batting lineup.
We expect Jasprit Bumrah to lead the bowling attack alongside Mohammed Siraj. There are rumours of Bumrah taking some rest that may happen in the second Test match in Kanpur.
India Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj.
On the other hand, Bangladesh will be spearheaded by their experienced stars like Shakib and Mushfiqur while the likes of Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and captain Najmul Shanto will also look to step up in challenging conditions. The Bangla Tigers also have a selection conundrum as they fielded three pacers against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. But with different conditions on offer in Chennai, they may turn to left-arm spinner Taijul Islam whilst dropping a pacer.
We expect Taskin Ahmed to retain his place while young speedster Nahid Rana can be the second pacer in the starting eleven. The 21-year-old lanky pacer burst onto the Test scene against Sri Lanka in March this year and did well in the Pakistan Test series. He will surely be one of the players to look out for in the Bangladesh squad.
Bangladesh Probable XI: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, and Nahid Rana.
Key Stats
- Mushfiqur Rahim has hammered 604 runs against India in eight Tests, averaging a handsome 43.14. He has also slammed two centuries and as many fifties against the hosts. Overall, he is the second-highest run-getter in the India versus Bangladesh Test series, only behind Sachin Tendulkar (820). Virat Kohli has scored 437 runs against Bangladesh in this format.
- Ravichandran Ashwin has scalped 23 wickets against the Bangla Tigers in red-ball cricket while Shakib Al Hasan isn’t far behind with 21 scalps against India in this format. They are the third and fifth-highest active wicket-takers in this series respectively.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal is currently the second-highest run-getter in the current World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle with 1,028 runs courtesy of three centuries. He is only behind Joe Root’s tally of 1,398 runs.
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been a trailblazer for Bangladesh in this WTC cycle. The allrounder is Bangladesh’s highest run-getter in the 2023-25 cycle with 380 runs courtesy of his four fifties. He is also Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker in this cycle with 23 scalps with a solitary five-wicket haul.
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