In the second Test between India and Bangladesh, three player battles to keep an eye out for Team India won the first Test at Chattogram with a lopsided victory.
Now, they travel to Dhaka with the goal of completing a 2-0 whitewash. To advance to the World Test Championship (WTC) final, the visitors must win at least four of their remaining five Tests.
However, the hosts will also be motivated to respond and pose a threat in their own den. After a disappointing performance in the series opener, which came after a 2-1 win in the ODI series, they will hope to draw level.
When compared to the pitch in Chattogram, the pitch in Dhaka is likely to provide spinners with more assistance. Due to this, there will be a lot of interesting matches between the two teams, which could determine the course of the game.
In light of this, let’s take a look at three possible confrontations prior to the second test:
#3 Shakib Al Hasan Vs Kuldeep Yadav
Shakib Al Hasan was a pillar of Bangladesh’s batting despite not being fully fit to bowl in the first Test. He hit a counter-attacking 84 in the second inning, but he was unable to prevent his team from losing.
The Bangladesh skipper has been declared fit for the second Test and is likely to bowl, according to fast bowling coach Allan Donald.
This is excellent news for the hosts, but India won’t be too concerned given how Kuldeep Yadav, a wrist spinner, dominated the southpaw in the first Test. Shakib struggled at times to read the Chinaman bowler’s deliveries as Kuldeep dismissed him in both innings.
Kuldeep will be optimistic about his chances of defeating the opposition captain once more given Shakib’s propensity for attacking.
#2 Rishabh Pant Vs Mehidy Hasan
Rishabh Pant hit a brisk 46 in the first innings of the first Test, showing that he is at his fluent best. The southpaw also broke 50 sixes in Tests faster than Rohit Sharma, making him the second-fastest Indian.
However, when he attempted to play a cheeky shot that probably wasn’t needed at the time, he was dismissed by off-spinner Mehidy Hasan. Despite the fact that Mehidy doesn’t turn the ball huge, he is a shrewd administrator.
The two players will be quick to rule each other in the subsequent Test and that makes this coordinate fascinating.
#1 Virat Kohli Vs Taijul Islam
In the first innings of the first Test, Kohli continued to struggle against spin, particularly in Tests. He went on the back foot and was caught in front after failing to read a delivery from left-arm spinner Taijul Islam.
After the win in Chattogram, Kohli was seen working hard in the nets, so it’s likely that he wanted to work on his technical issues. In the meantime, Taijul will be confident in his ability to defeat the former Indian skipper once more.
In Dhaka, it will be interesting to see how each player approaches this matchup. With a modified approach, Kohli might try to dominate the Bangladesh spinner, and Taijul will try to make the star Indian batsman more trouble.