IND vs BDESH 2024/25, IND vs BAN 1st Test Match Preview

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IND vs BDESH 2024/25, IND vs BAN 1st Test Match Preview

Big picture: Can Bangladesh reach another first?

It is time for India to remove the cobwebs from their whites as the long Test season draws to a close. Having not played a Test match in over six months, they will now play 10 in the next three and a half matches, starting with the tour of Bangladesh in a two-match series.

It’s no secret that India is one of the toughest places for any team, and Bangladesh don’t have the guts to admit the same. They have played three Tests in India and suffered heavy defeats each time. In fact, India are one of only two teams Bangladesh have won a Test in 13 attempts. In the last decade, India have lost only four Tests at home and have never lost a series here as close as 12.

On paper, India can feel good about their chances of crushing Bangladesh when the first of the two Tests begins in Chennai on September 19. But this is a Bangladesh team proud of their first win.

In early 2022, they beat New Zealand for the first time in a Test match. Until last month, they beat Pakistan for the first time in a Test, then again to win their first away series in more than three years. Bangladesh has traditionally not been a big traveler. They have achieved just eight Test victories abroad in 67 attempts, but it is worth noting that four of those have come since 2021.

That’s not to say India don’t start as overwhelming favourites. They are sitting comfortably at the top of the World Test Championship [WTC] in the points table with 68.52 percent, and the way they are they should reach their third final next year. But they will be coming off a bit of a break in form, and they have some quality players who have been out of action for a long time. Virat Kohli last played a red ball game in the first week of January. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are also making comeback tests.

India’s batsmen in recent times have proved vulnerable against top-class spinners, and in Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam, Bangladesh have three who can run through the batting line-up on their day.

Bangladesh come into the series on a high and, with India likely to be rusty, will hope to catch them off guard.

Form guide

India: WWWWL (The last five tests, the most recent being the first)
Bangladesh: WWLL

Highlights: Rishabh Pant and Mehidy Hasan Miraz

Since his car accident in December 2022, Rishabh Pant has returned to the IPL, T20Is, and ODIs. Now almost two years later, the test is back. It’s a format Pant has excelled at; he has an average of 44, a strike rate of 70-plus, and 11 fifties and hundreds. In his absence, Ishan Kishan, KS Bharat, Rahul and Dhruv Jurel have all donned the gloves to keep wickets, but now that Pant is back, he will once again take his place behind the stumps. He showed his mettle in the first match of the Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru, where he managed 125.4 overs in two innings. Ahead of a busy season, Pant may want to get his scouting engine working well and early.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe said Mehidy Hasan Miraz is “ready to take over whenever Shakib is out”. The latest numbers suggest he’s on track. In the current WTC cycle, no Bangladesh player has scored more runs than Mehidy (380 in ten innings) or taken more wickets (23 in six Tests). He was a major contributor with both bat and ball in Bangladesh’s series win over Pakistan and on the Chennai track which could help turn around, especially later in the game, Mehidy has the chance to further develop his Test credentials.

Team news: Will India go with three spinners?

India usually play three spinners and two quicks in their home Tests, but could be tempted to play three quicks against Bangladesh – as they did in the 2019-20 Test series – in the red- soil Chepauk promising pitch. jump and carry. Spin, however, is expected to play a major role as the pitch bakes under the Chennai sun, so three spinners look to be a better option. This time, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the fast bowling unit, with R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav as the three spinners.

Additionally, KL Rahul is set to return to the Test fold for the first time since a quadriceps injury cut short his series against England earlier this year. He will probably replace Sarfaraz Khan in the middle order. Meanwhile, Pant may return to replace Dhruv Jurel, who played the last three Tests against England.

India (probable): 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 many changes to their winning XI in the second Test in Pakistan last month. They may also look to play three spinners. Bangladesh fielded Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana as their three quicks in the second Test in Rawalpindi, and the pace trio claimed 14 of the 20 wickets they took, including ten in the second innings. But in Chennai, they might consider bringing Taijul into the mix along with Shakib and Mehidy.

Shakib arrived in Chennai on Tuesday night after playing for Surrey in the County Championship.

Bangladesh (probable): 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.

Tone and conditions: Expect the Chennai heat to play a role

The Chennai pitch for the opening Test will be red clay and while there may be some batting and carrying by both the quicks and spinners, the surface may break under the sweltering Chennai heat. This will mean that the spinners have to play as the Test progresses. There is an extreme heat warning in Chennai at the moment, with temperatures likely to be in the mid to high 30s range (Celsius).

Math and trivia

India are on a 17-match unbeaten streak at home, dating back to November 2012.
Jasprit Bumrah is India’s most wicket-taker in Tests in 2024: 27 in five matches at 15.07
With 1028 runs in just nine Tests, Yashasvi Jaiswal is the second highest run-getter in the current WTC cycle. His average of 68.53 ranks him second behind Kamindu Mendis among the top ten names in this list.
The batsman averages 77.16 against spinners in Tests in India and bats at 100.87.
Mushfiqur Rahim averages 55.16 in Tests for India.

Quotes

“Bangladesh has good quality cricketers. Shakib has experience. Mushfiqur has experience. They have a very good bowling attack. Mehidy is there too. So we know there is talent in Bangladesh. But the important thing is that we need to change from the first ball and that’s what’s expected of all of us in that locker room.”
India is the head coach Gautam Gambhir he knows the threats that Bangladesh has

“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 don’t think about the outcome, we just want to follow the procedures.”
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto he doesn’t want to dwell too much on the past

Ashish Pant is an associate editor with ESPNcricinfo

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