Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has expressed confidence that India will comfortably overcome Bangladesh in the upcoming two-match Test series, despite the visitors’ recent heroics against Pakistan. 

Bangladesh, under the leadership of Najmul Hossain Shanto, stunned Pakistan with a historic 2-0 whitewash away from home. However, Karthik believes that defeating India in India remains a monumental challenge for any team, including Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi team has yet to claim a victory over India in a Test match, having lost 11 of their 13 encounters, with only two ending in draws. India has dominated this fixture historically, but their last meeting in Bangladesh during a red-ball contest in Dhaka turned into a nail-biter, with India narrowly winning by three wickets to avoid an upset.

While Bangladesh has displayed their growth in the red-ball format—achieving impressive wins over New Zealand, both home and away—Karthik insists that playing India in their own conditions is an entirely different proposition. 

Speaking on Cricbuzz, he said, “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.”

India’s dominance on home soil in Tests is well-documented. The Men in Blue last lost a home Test series in 2012 and have not been beaten in multiple matches within a series since then. With this strong track record, India will be heading into the series brimming with confidence.

The Indian team has already begun preparing for the series, which also marks the start of their home season. Veterans like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have rejoined the squad after a well-deserved break following the Sri Lanka tour, adding further strength to the side. 

However, the upcoming series also presents India with an opportunity to experiment with their lineup, particularly in the bowling department, as they gear up for the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia.

Karthik anticipates that India will opt for a slightly pace-friendly approach to neutralize Bangladesh’s spin attack, despite the fact that the opening Test will take place at the traditionally spin-heavy MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. 

Sharing his insights on India’s bowling strategy, Karthik remarked, “I get the feeling India’s going to play on slightly pace-oriented pitches, knowing that it’s a good way to beat Bangladesh. Also, they will be preparing for the Australian Test series. I think they will only play with two spinners—Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja—followed by three fast bowlers.”

India’s decision to possibly field only two spinners could see Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel miss out on the playing XI. Instead, the team might bolster its pace attack with options like Akash Deep, who could get another chance, or Yash Dayal, who may make his debut. With the Australian series on the horizon, this would give India the opportunity to refine their pace-oriented tactics ahead of the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar series.

While India is expected to stick to a predominantly pace-based strategy, Bangladesh’s recent performances cannot be overlooked. The seam bowling duo of Nahid Rana and Hasan Mahmud was instrumental in their victory over Pakistan, with both bowlers in excellent form. 

The pair wreaked havoc in the second Test, making life difficult for the Pakistani batters. However, replicating such success in India, where conditions often favor spin, will be a significant challenge for the Bangladesh bowlers.

The series opener, which begins on September 19, will test both sides, but with India’s home advantage and the caliber of their players, they remain firm favourites. For Bangladesh, the challenge will be to take the confidence from their Pakistan series win and translate it into competitive performances in one of the toughest cricketing environments in the world.

As cricket fans eagerly await the start of the series, all eyes will be on how both teams approach the contest, especially with India potentially experimenting with their lineup in preparation for future challenges. However, if Karthik’s assessment proves accurate, Bangladesh may find themselves outmatched once again in their pursuit of a first-ever Test win against India.