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India are set to kick off their Test season with a two-match home series against Bangladesh. The series is set to begin on September 19 in Chennai, whereas the second match will be played in Kanpur. Following the series, Rohit Sharma and Co. will host New Zealand for a three-match series before travelling to Australia for the five-match series, the infamous Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
The forthcoming series against the neighbours will see several key players making their return to action. One such name would be India’s spinning ace Ravichandran Ashwin and many more. Ashwin, who ranks at number one in the Tests, will be back to India’s squad after six months. The Chennai-born cricketer last appeared for India during England’s five-match series at home. Ashwin is one of the four spinners who have received their national call up in the first Test against Bangladesh, along with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja. However, a few of them will be benched during the first match of the Bangladesh series.
Ravichandran Ashwin or Axar Patel- Who will play the first Test against Bangladesh?
As mentioned, one between Ravichandran Ashwin and Patel will be included in the playing XI against Bangladesh in the first Test. Ashwin is one of the finest off-spinners to have played for India and currently has more than 500 wickets to his name. The bowler is only second to Anil Kumble who leads the international wickets tally with 953 international wickets.
Not only this, but Ashwin shares the top spot with Nathan Lyon for the most five-wicket hauls in the World Test Championship (WTC) history with 10 each. Ashwin has been a match winner for the side in several tough situations. It goes without saying that the spinner is one of the key players the side has in the format. In the previous Test against England, Ashwin picked a total of 26 wickets for the hosts. On the other hand, Patel couldn’t do much magic and picked only five wickets in two matches .
Another reason which makes Ashwin the most suitable choice for the forthcoming game is the venue of the match, Chennai. There won’t be any better option for the Indian team than to pick Chennai boy, Ashwin. Moreover, with 10 more matches coming up for the Indian team, the side will keep rotating players in the future and pick Patel for upcoming games.
