The two Asian sides India and Bangladesh will lock horns against each other on the 19th of September in the first game of the two-match Test series. The match will be played in Chennai.
Match preview:
It will be after a hiatus of six months that India will don the Test kit. But they have got not to worry about anything. They sit at the top of the table of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship and will probably make it to their third consecutive final of the championship.
It is no lie that India has been a force to reckon with when it comes to playing at their backyard. The last time India had lost a Test series at their home was in 2012 and since then no one has ever won a series against them. Although they faced defeat in couple of games but they know how to claw back and keep their record safe.
On paper India looks strong but their top players like Virat Kohli hasn’t played a Test cricket since January. Moreover, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul will be making a comeback as well. They are expected to replace Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel.
India will be playing international cricket after the T20 World Cup earlier this year where they beat South Africa to finally end their trophy draught.
Talking about Bangladesh, they are in some great form. They will be in flying confidence after whitewashing Pakistan in a two-match Test series last month. This was the first time Bangladesh beat Pakistan in the longest format of the game and if anything, it will give them confidence to create history against India.
Bangladesh have been poor travelers as they have only won 8 Test matches away from their home. But the good thing is four of them came since 2021.
They also beat New Zealand and Pakistan in these games and now they will look to register their first Test victory against India in the longest format of the game.
“We played very good cricket against Pakistan, [but] that is past. It gives us a lot of confidence, but we are here to play a new series and the dressing room believes we can play very good cricket. We are not thinking about the outcome, just want to follow the processes” said Najmul Hossain Shanto
Bangladesh’s pacers have been in great form, but all eyes will be on Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who was the golden boy for Bangladesh in their road to victory over Pakistan.
Probable XI:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep.
Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana.
Pitch and weather report:
The weather is hot and humid in Chennai and it won’t be easy for any team to bat on. Pacers may get help early on but spinners will have a huge role to play as the match goes on. A team who wins the toss should look to bat first.
Head-to-head record:
A total of 13 Test matches have been played between these two sides. India has won 11 games, and Bangladesh has yet to win a Test against its neighboring country.
Predictions:
Although Bangladesh defeated Pakistan it will take a lot of hard work to beat India. So, India are favorites to win the first Test match of the series
Where to watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad
India: JioCinema (app and website)
UK: Discovery+ app or website
Bangladesh: Rabbitholebd Youtube
Others: CricHD
