The Indian team for the first match of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh was announced on Sunday (8 September). The 16-member Indian team will be captained by Rohit Sharma. Let us tell you that the Indian team will play a two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home this month. The first match will be played in Chennai from 19 September, while the second Test match will be played in Kanpur from 27 September.
Pant returns, KL Rahul also in the team
The most special thing about the Indian team selection is the return of wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant. Pant is returning to the Indian team for the Test match after 634 days. He was out of the team after a road accident. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli have also returned to the Test team. Rahul was injured during the Hyderabad Test match this year, then he had to stay out of the remaining four matches against England. Virat Kohli did not play in all five Test matches due to personal reasons.
Yash Dayal’s selection
Left-arm fast bowler Yash Dayal has also been included in the team. This is Dayal’s first selection in Team India. Dayal has been rewarded for his excellent performance in domestic cricket. Dayal was part of the India B team in the Duleep Trophy 2024, where he impressed by taking 4 wickets in the match against India-A. Dayal is a left-arm bowler, so he can bring variety to the pace attack. Left-arm fast bowlers Khalil Ahmed and Arshdeep Singh were also contenders for selection, but Dayal outshone both of them.
Entry of ‘Swing Express’ Akash Deep
Right-arm fast bowler Akashdeep also got a chance in Team India for the first Test match. Akashdeep took 9 wickets against India-B in the Duleep Trophy 2024. Akash Deep took four wickets in the first innings and five in the second innings for India-A. 27-year-old Akash made his international debut in February this year through the Ranchi Test match against England, where he took 3 wickets in the first innings. Akash Deep was born in Rohtas district of Bihar. However, Akash Deep plays for Bengal in domestic cricket. Akash has the ability to get swing with both new and old balls.
Jurel- Trust in Sarfaraz remains intact
Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan are also included in the team. Sarfaraz and Jurel made their debut in the Test series against England this year. Dhruv Jurel has been selected as the second wicketkeeper. While Sarfaraz has been selected in the team as a middle order batsman. It is difficult for Jurel to get a chance in the Test before Rishabh Pant is there, but Sarfaraz can be seen playing at number-5 in the Chennai Test.
Four spin bowlers in the team
The Chennai pitch is considered spin friendly. Keeping this in mind, four spinners have been included in the squad. These include Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav. The special thing is that all four of these players are also excellent batsmen, so with their presence, the batting order of Team India also looks very strong.
This Test series against Bangladesh will be very important in view of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will be held in Australia later this year. This is the Indian team’s first red-ball (Test) series after March 2024. In the last series, England was defeated 4-1. On the other hand, this series will also be the first red-ball series for the new Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Indian team for the first test match: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jaspreet Bumrah and Yash Dayal.
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