New Delhi: Rohit Sharma-led Team India will be looking to grab important World Test Championship (WTC) points up for the grabs when they take on Bangladesh in the first Test of the upcoming two-match Test series between the two teams at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, September 18. The Indian team will head into the series opener well-prepared having trained in Chennai for nearly a week in their national camp.
India have some major selection headaches to deal with ahead of the 1st Test as the team management will have to figure out what bowling combination they would want to field against the visitors in Chennai. There have been reports that India might prefer Kuldeep Yadav as the third spinner over all-rounder Axar Patel with Jasprit Bumrah leading the two-man pace attack.
However, India have opted for a red soil pitch at Chepauk where the surface has traditionally assisted spinners. The pacers will come into the party on the red soil wicket and are expected to play a key role in the game. Thus, the Indian team management will have a tough decision to make whether to go with only two pacers or not.
Bumrah is set to spearhead the pace attack and he might be partnered by Akash Deep, who is heading into the series after an impressive show in the Duleep Trophy where he was lethal with the ball. Akash Deep also did well on his Test debut against England earlier this year and retained his spot in the squad. The Bengal pacer looks set to pip Mohammed Siraj in the playing XI for the 1st Test.
Kuldeep is likely to get the nod ahead of Axar as the third spinner alongside R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The left-arm spinner is a proven wicket-taker and his ability to outfox batters can come in handy for India against a high-spirited Bangladesh side, who have some good players of spin.
No Sarfaraz Khan in middle order
India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday confirmed in the pre-match presser that Sarfaraz Khan will not be part of India’s playing XI in the 1st Test against Bangladesh. The batter linked up with the rest of the squad earlier this week after featuring in the 2nd round of the Duleep Trophy. His absence means KL Rahul is all but set to make his Test return and is likely to bat at no.5.
The rest of the Indian batting lineup pretty much picks itself in the XI. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings with Shubman Gill batting at no.3 and Virat Kohli taking the no.4 spot. Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja will feature in the middle order with R Ashwin adding extra depth to the batting line-up at no.8.
Both Sarfaraz and Jurel will have to wait for their opportunities after the return of Rahul and Pant. India will look to get off to a winning start in the Test series with a victory in Chennai to go 1-0 up. The series is an imperative one for India as they would need momentum in their favour ahead of a long and gruelling Test season.
India’s predicted XI for 1st Test against Bangladesh: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep
India predicted XI for 1st Test vs Bangladesh: Will Rohit Sharma & Co. opt for a specialist spinner in Kuldeep Yadav or will Axar Patel get the nod in India’s playing XI to further strengthen their batting line-up in the 1st Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
