India Gears Up for 1st Bangladesh Test: Key Changes, Strategies Decoded

Chennai: The countdown is on for the first Test between India and Bangladesh, scheduled to begin on September 19. Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, India is set to return to Test cricket after a six-month break since their series against England.

This match will also mark the debut of former South African pacer Morne Morkel as India’s new bowling coach.

In their first practice session on Friday, the Indian team adopted a unique strategy. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and Morkel guided key players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal in using two separate nets: one for spin on the black soil pitch and one for pace on the red soil pitch.

The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, known for its spin-friendly conditions, has prompted India to experiment with their bowling options. The squad includes spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, along with pace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Yash Dayal.

Additionally, India has enlisted several promising net bowlers, including spinners S Ajith Ram, M Siddharth, and P Vignesh, as well as pacers Arpit Guleria, Gurnoon Brar, Yudhvir Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Simarjeet Singh, and Gurjapneet Singh.

With the World Test Championship (WTC) points at stake, this two-match series is crucial for India, who are currently leading the WTC standings with 68.52 percentage points. Australia follows closely with 62.50 percentage points. Bangladesh, buoyed by their recent 2-0 series win over Pakistan, sits in fourth place with 45.83 percentage points.

India’s upcoming Test season will be intense, including a three-Test series at home against New Zealand and a five-match Border-Gavaskar series in Australia later this year. The clash against Bangladesh promises to be an exciting start to this demanding period.