Bangladesh will be taking on India in the first Test of the two-match series at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from September 19 onwards. After getting the better of Pakistan 2-0 in Rawalpindi in the two-match Test series, Bangladesh will be quietly confident to get the better of a highly fancied Indian cricket team in their home den in the longest format of the game for the first-time ever.
In this article, SportsTiger looks at Bangladesh’s probable playing XI versus India in the first Test.
Openers: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan
Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan, the left-handed opening duo in Test format for Bangladesh, are steadily working their way into being regulars in the national team with some consistent scores to their name in the last few months, which they would like to continue against India in the upcoming two-match Test series. During the two Test matches against Pakistan, Shadman Islam scored 136 runs in four innings with the high score of 93, while Zakir Hasan got just 68 runs in four innings after both got dismissed three times.
Middle Order: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk)
The captain of Bangladesh, Najmul Hossain Shanto, along with Monimul Haque were quite at their best against Pakistan in the two Test matches, but they have the quality and experience to turn their fortunes around against India later this month. Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das scored big hundreds versus Pakistan during their 2-0 Test series triumph, and they could prove to be a big headache for the Indian bowlers.
All-rounders: Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz
Shakib Al Hasan didn’t contribute much with the bat, but he picked five key wickets across two Test matches, playing an important role in defeating Pakistan for the first-time ever. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the star performer for Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, scoring valuable runs lower down the order, 155 in total at an average of 77.50 while taking 10 wickets in four innings, and the same level of performances will be needed from him against India in the upcoming Test series.
Bowlers: Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Taijul Islam
Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana, the two Bangladesh pacers, were quite exceptional with the ball against Pakistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, picking up eight and six wickets respectively in two Test matches. Taijul Islam has the experience of playing a lot of Test cricket for Bangladesh, playing the role of a prime spinner, and he will have the responsibility to take the bulk of the wickets against India in the two Tests later this month.