India are set to clash against Bangladesh in the first of the two-match Test series, starting on September 19. The Test series at home will mark the beginning of a long season which would include 10 Test matches, five at home, and five away in Australia. The BCCI has announced a 16-man squad that will play the first Test, which will be played in Chennai. Apart from beginning their Test season with a bang, Rohit Sharma and Co. will eye historic achievement.
Currently, the Indian Test team stands at 178 wins and 178 losses from 579 matches. If they manage to win the Test against Bangladesh, it will be the first time in the history that they will have more wins than losses in the longest format of the game.
As the two-time WTC finalists are gearing up for the forthcoming series, let’s have a look at India’s probable playing XI for the first Test.
India’s probable playing XI for first Test against Bangladesh
Top Order: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill
Rohit Sharma is the captain of the Indian cricket team and the opener of the team. Earlier during the England series, Sharma scored 400 runs with two centuries and one fifty. Sharma has made 732 runs in 18 innings at an average of 40.66 with three hundreds. Yashasvi Jaiswal, on the other hand, had a record-breaking Test series against England, where he amassed 712 runs averaging at 89 in five Tests. The cricketer scored two double centuries and three fifties. Shubman Gill, generally seen as the next big thing in Indian cricket, was given the responsibility of number three.
During the England Tests, Gill slammed two fifties and one century to end the series with 452 runs.
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Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), KL Rahul
Team India’s iconic batter, Virat Kohli will be back in action in the longest format after a gap of nine months. Kohli had missed the entire England series due to the birth of his son, Akaay Kohli. The batting wizard will aim to make a strong comeback. Speaking of Rishabh Pant, who is most likely to don the wicketkeeping gloves in the first Test, will make his Test comeback after his fatal accident in December 2022.
Speaking of KL Rahul, the cricketer’s position in the Test XI would be a debated one as Sarfaraz Khan had a terrific debut series against England. Rahul, on the flip side, played in the first Test and scored over 100 runs in the match before missing the rest of the games due to an injury.
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All-rounders: Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin
In the all-rounders department, Axar Patel will be expected to come up with a stellar performance. Patel was a part of India’s playing XI in the first two Tests against England, where he scored 61 and 72 runs with a total of five wickets. On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja scalped 19 wickets at an average of 24 and scored 232 runs at an average of 38. Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s number one Test spinner will be expected to be India’s backbone at his home, Chennai. Ashwin averages 21 with the ball in Asia. Earlier against England, he took 26 wickets, averaging 22.
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Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Jasprit Bumrah, India’s best fast bowler was expected to be rested for the Bangladesh series as well as India’s next Test series against New Zealand. Bumrah took 19 wickets in four Tests against England earlier this year, and will be expected to come up with another such remarkable performance against their near neighbours. On the other hand, with Mohammed Shami injured, Mohammed Siraj is expected to be India’s second pacer in the squad. Siraj came up with a below-par performance against England and could scalp only six wickets in four Tests at 57. He will be eyeing a stronger comeback at home ground against Bangladesh.
