In the first Test match, a depleted Indian team will play a tricky Bangladesh team, putting KL Rahul’s batting skills and tactical acumen to the test.
The high-stakes two-match series, the outcome of which will have an effect on India’s chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final will put KL Rahul’s batting prowess and tactical acumen to the test.
India sits fourth in the WTC table, following Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Australia. To eliminate all ifs and buts, the only way to qualify for the June final is to win both of the Test matches against Bangladesh and then all four at home against Pat Cummins’ Australia.
The journey begins at the Zahoor Ahmed Stadium, which has a history of favoring batters but also provides some direction toward the match’s conclusion.
In the Test format, where Bangladesh has yet to defeat India, the visitors will begin as overwhelming favorites. However, the absence of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ravindra Jadeja may be detrimental to the team.
When the opposition is batting in the third or fourth innings, Jadeja’s absence always puts the Indian team in a bad position on these kinds of tracks.
Axar Patel has put in a lot of hard work as the second-choice left-arm spinner over the past two seasons, but the Jadeja-Ashwin duo could be deadly on subcontinental tracks, at least when playing against lesser Test nations.
The two Rahuls—captain KL and head coach Dravid—need to make the most important decision regarding the fifth specialist bowler—a third pacer or third spinner—in the playing XI if all Indian players are fit.
It remains to be seen whether wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav or slow left-arm orthodox Saurabh Kumar will be India’s third-choice specialist spinner.
Saurabh, who has been a star performer for the India A group that as of late finished up two-Test series against Bangladesh A with 15 wickets, would feel that he has presented his defense for a Test Cap in something like one of the two games.
KL Rahul’s test as a leader
Over the past year, Rahul has not exactly been exceptional in terms of his cricketing intelligence when it comes to captaincy. This series, in which he is likely to play two games, will be a tough test for his long-term leadership ambition.
Rahul told the media on Monday during the trophy-unveiling ceremony with Shakib al Hasan that his team “plans to play aggressive cricket” because they know exactly what needs to be done to reach the WTC finals for the second time in a row.
In any case, Rahul, whose exhibitions in white-ball formats have been a piece disappointing no doubt, should walk the discussion regarding showing the expected purpose and hostility in the batting department.
In addition to Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer in the middle order, he will have young Shubman Gill in the company.
Rishabh Pant’s uncluttered batting has been a delightful spectacle for Indian fans, and he will return to what could be considered his favorite format.
In the bowling department, Umesh Yadav, an expert at his specialty on barren sub-mainland tracks will have Mohammed Siraj, Ashwin, and Axar Patel for the organization.
In the event that an additional spinner is selected in place of a third pacer, a choice will be made between two bowlers with only one test of experience: Jaydev Unadkat, a domestic star, and Navdeep Saini, a skiddy bowler who is a more well-known for being at the other end when Pant made history at the Gabba.
In terms of the Bangladesh team, it will be eager to improve on its 22-year winless streak against India.
Bangladesh has never been able to consistently challenge teams in the traditional format, even when they have played at home.
Shakib and Taijul Islam, spinners, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, and Shoriful Islam, all want to change the script.
They do, however, have a consistent batting line-up for home conditions, and captain Shakib has scored at least 4,000 runs. The batting does have a solid look when you add Mominul Haque’s 3500+ runs and Mushfiqur Rahim’s tally of more than 5000.
squads of both teams:
India: Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Saurabh Kumar, Kona Bharat, Kuldeep Yadav, and Abhimanyu Easwaran
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan, captain; Litton Das, starting pitcher; Mushfiqur Rahim, starting pitcher; Mominul Haque; Mehidy Hasan Miraz; Mahmudul Hasan Joy; Anamul Haque Bijoy; Khaled Ahmed; Ebadot Hossain; Shoriful Islam; Taskin Ahmed; Taijul Islam; Najmul Hossain Shanta; Rejaul Rahaman Raja; Zakir Hasan,
The match begins at 9:00 am IST.