It is not often that the Indian team gets a one-month break from their hectic schedule. The last month would have been a welcome break for the team and now it’s time to get back to business as Rohit Sharma’s men take a high-spirited Bangladesh, which recently did something they had never done before.
The Tigers stunned Pakistan by 2-0 while playing away, winning the opening Test by 10 wickets and then taking the second game by six wickets. Ergo, the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led team will be high on confidence but they will know that India will be a different challenge altogether, especially while playing on Indian soil.
However, one grey area for the Indian team is the fact that runs haven’t come as consistently as expected in the home conditions. From 2021 onwards, the batting average is 33.40 in 17 Test matches, which is a surprising stat.
Thus, the Indian batters will be determined to turn the tables against Bangladesh and deliver the goods.
On the other hand, the visitors will look to continue their good form. Mehidy Hasan Miraz had impressed with both bat and ball in the two-match series against Pakistan and he is going to hold the key for the tourists.
Bangladesh was able to bounce back from a tricky situation in the second Test against Pakistan and they will want to bring their best against India.
Match Prediction: India will start as overwhelming favorites against Bangladesh.
India squad for first Test: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (Wicket-keeper), Litton Kumer Das (wk), Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Jaker Ali Anik
