Excessive-flying Bangladesh search to dent India's mighty dwelling report

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Excessive-flying Bangladesh search to dent India's mighty dwelling report

Massive image: Can Bangladesh obtain one other first?

It’s time for India to mud the cobwebs off their whites as an extended Check season beckons. Having not performed a Check match in additional than six months, they’ll now play ten within the subsequent three-and-a-half, beginning with Bangladesh’s go to for a two-match sequence.

It’s no secret that India is among the hardest locations for any group, and Bangladesh don’t have any reluctance to confess the identical. They’ve performed three Checks in India and confronted heavy defeats every time. In truth, India are one in all solely two groups Bangladesh are but to win a Check in opposition to in 13 makes an attempt. Within the final ten years, India have misplaced solely 4 Checks at dwelling and have not misplaced a sequence right here in near 12.

On paper, India can really feel bullish about their possibilities of toppling Bangladesh when the primary of the 2 Checks begins in Chennai on September 19. However this can be a Bangladesh group that prides itself in reaching firsts.

In early 2022, they beat New Zealand for the primary time in a Check match. Then solely final month, they beat Pakistan for the primary time in a Check, and beat them once more to seal their first away sequence win in additional than three years. Bangladesh have historically not been nice travellers. They’ve solely achieved eight abroad Check wins in 67 makes an attempt, however it’s price noting that 4 of them have come since 2021.

That is to not say India do not begin as overwhelming favourites. They sit fairly on the high of the World Check Championship [WTC] factors desk with a share of 68.52, and within the kind they’re in ought to make it to their third remaining subsequent 12 months. However they’re coming off a little bit of a break from the format, and have gamers of their high order who’ve been out of Check motion for even longer. Virat Kohli final performed a red-ball sport within the first week of January. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are additionally making Check comebacks.

India’s batters have in current occasions proven vulnerability in opposition to high quality spinners, and in Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam, Bangladesh have three who can run by a batting line-up on their day.

Bangladesh are coming into this sequence on an absolute excessive and, with India doubtlessly rusty, will hope to catch them off guard.

Kind information

India: WWWWL (final 5 Checks, most up-to-date first)
Bangladesh: WWLLL

Within the highlight: Rishabh Pant and Mehidy Hasan Miraz

Since his automotive accident in December 2022, Rishabh Pant has made a comeback within the IPL, T20Is, and ODIs. Now almost two years later, a Check comeback beckons. It’s a format Pant has excelled in; he has a median near 44, a strike of 70-plus, with 11 fifties and 5 centuries. In his absence, Ishan Kishan, KS Bharat, Rahul and Dhruv Jurel have all donned the wicketkeeping gloves, however now that Pant is again, he is set to take again his place behind the stumps. He proved his health within the opening Duleep Trophy encounter in Bengaluru, the place he saved for 125.4 overs throughout the 2 innings. Forward of a busy season, Pant may wish to get his Check motor working good and early.

In a press convention on Tuesday, Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe reckoned Mehidy Hasan Miraz was “able to take over every time Shakib strikes out”. Latest numbers recommend he’s nicely on the right track. Within the present WTC cycle, no Bangladesh participant has scored extra runs than Mehidy (380 in ten innings) or taken extra wickets (23 in six Checks). He was a key contributor with each bat and ball in Bangladesh’s sequence win in Pakistan and on a Chennai monitor which is more likely to help spin, significantly later within the sport, Mehidy has an opportunity to additional improve his Check credentials.

Crew information: Will India go along with three spinners?

India have largely tended to play three spinners and two quicks of their dwelling Checks, however they may very well be tempted to play three quicks in opposition to Bangladesh – as they did in each Checks within the 2019-20 sequence – on a red-soil Chepauk pitch that guarantees bounce and carry. Spin, although, is anticipated to play a significant function because the pitch bakes underneath the Chennai solar, so three spinners appears the likelier choice. On this case, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the quick bowling unit, with R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav because the three spinners.

Moreover, KL Rahul is in line to return again into the Check fold for the primary time since a quadriceps harm reduce brief his sequence in opposition to England earlier this 12 months. He’ll probably exchange Sarfaraz Khan within the center order. In the meantime, Pant can be more likely to slot again into the wicketkeeper function instead of Dhruv Jurel, who performed the final three Checks in opposition to England.

India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 KL Rahul, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.

Bangladesh are unlikely to make too many tweaks to their successful taking part in XI from the second Check in Pakistan final month. They could additionally look to play three spinners. Bangladesh fielded Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana as their three quicks within the second Check in Rawalpindi, and the tempo trio picked up 14 of the 20 wickets they took, together with all ten within the second innings. However in Chennai, they might take into consideration bringing Taijul into the combo alongside Shakib and Mehidy.

Shakib arrived in Chennai late on Tuesday evening after taking part in a sport for Surrey within the County Championship.

Bangladesh (possible): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mominul Islam, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Litton Das (wk), 7 Shakib Al Hasan, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Nahid Rana/Taijul Islam.

Pitch and circumstances: Count on the Chennai warmth to play an element

The Chennai pitch for the opening Check shall be a red-soil one and whereas there may very well be appreciable bounce and carry for each the quicks and spinners, the floor is more likely to break underneath the searing Chennai warmth. This may imply the spinners ought to come into play because the Check goes on. There’s an extreme warmth warning in Chennai for the time being, with temperatures more likely to be within the mid to excessive 30s (Celsius) vary.

Stats and trivia

India are on a streak of 17 unbeaten dwelling Check sequence, which dates again to November 2012
Jasprit Bumrah is the very best wicket-taker for India in Checks in 2024: 27 in 5 video games at 15.07
With 1028 runs in simply 9 Checks, Yashasvi Jaiswal is second on the listing of high run-getters within the present WTC cycle. His common of 68.53 places him second behind Kamindu Mendis among the many high ten names on this listing.
Pant averages 77.16 in opposition to spinners in Checks in India and strikes at 100.87.
Mushfiqur Rahim averages 55.16 in Checks in India.

Quotes

“Bangladesh has bought some actually high quality cricketers. Shakib has bought the expertise. Mushfiqur has bought the expertise. You’ve got bought an excellent bowling assault as nicely. Mehidy is there as nicely. So we all know that there’s expertise in Bangladesh. However the vital factor is that we have to be switched on from ball one. And that’s what the expectations from all of us are in that dressing room.”
India head coach Gautam Gambhir is conscious of the threats Bangladesh possess

“We performed superb cricket in opposition to Pakistan, [but] that’s previous. It provides us lots of confidence, however we’re right here to play a brand new sequence and the dressing room believes we are able to play superb cricket. We’re not interested by the result, simply wish to observe the processes.”
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto doesn’t wish to dwell an excessive amount of on the previous

Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo

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