Ahead of the two-match Test series against India, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said that his side wants to win both the long-format matches. The two-match Test series between India and Bangladesh will kick off on September 19 at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium. Currently, Bangladesh are in top form as they have whitewashed Pakistan 2-0, winning their first test series on Pakistani soil. The Bengal Tigers clinched a massive 10-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first Test match. While in the second long-format match, they won it by six wickets.

Speaking at the pre-departure press conference in Dhaka, Najmul accepted that it will be a challenging series against India. However, he added that the Bengal Tigers are having “extra confidence” after win over Pakistan in Test series.

“It will be a challenging series but we have the extra confidence from the Pakistan series. I guess the whole country has that confidence now. Every series is an opportunity. We want to win both Tests, but we have to stick to our process. If we do our job, we can get a good result,” Najmul Hossain was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.

The Bangladesh skipper talked about their goals during their tour of India.

“They are well ahead of us in the rankings. But we did play well recently. We want to play well for five days, that’s our goal. We want to get the result in the last session of the Test match. At that time, the match can go in any direction. It is an opportunity [to get our first win in India]. We will play with a win in mind. But we don’t want to think too far ahead. We want to do well for five days, and play to our strength. That’s most important,” he added.

Najmul Hossain further added that Bangladesh have a good bowling attack, who can bowl at any condition.

“We are in a good place with our bowling attack, both spin and pace. Perhaps our pacers are behind them in terms of experience but our spin attack is close to theirs. They can bowl in any conditions. All I can say is that our pacers, spinners and batters will give 100%,” he further added.

The second Test between India and Bangladesh will be held in Kanpur, which will be played from September 27.

Currently, Team India are leading the WTC standings with a point percentage of 68.52, and their upcoming series in the WTC include Bangladesh (two Tests, home), New Zealand (three Tests, home), and Australia (five Tests, away).

India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, and Yash Dayal.

Bangladesh squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumer Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Jaker Ali Anik.

File image of Jonty Rhodes© BCCI

India vice-captain Shubman Gill are among prominent players who will be rested for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh starting October 7 as part of BCCI’s workload management policy. Gill, India’s No.3 in Test matches, is a vital cog in the team’s top-order alongside Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal and is expected to play all 10 Tests this season. Apart from Gill, a few more important players will also be rested keeping the the three- Test series against New Zealand in mind.

India will start their upcoming international season with a two-Test series against Bangladesh in Chennai from September 19 followed by the second match in Kanpur starting September 27.

“Yes, Shubman will be rested for the Bangladesh T20I series. If you look at the fixture, the three T20Is will be played on October 7 (Gwalior), 10 (Delhi) and 13 (Hyderabad). Now first Test vs New Zealand starts October 16.

“So with a turnaround of three days, it is important to give Gill a break,” a BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

Gill has so far played 21 T20Is and has a hundred, three fifties to his credit besides a strike rate of nearly 140. He was recently appointed captain for the five-match series against Zimbabwe in Harare, which India won 4-1.

In the current season, T20Is are least priority for the Indian team with the World Test Championship points with the five-match series against Australia being topmost on the agenda.

Also ODIs will be important as there is a Champions Trophy to be played in that format in February-March. It is understood that most of the Test team players are unlikely to be played against Bangladesh in T20Is.

While the troika of Rohit, Virat and Ravindra Jadeja have retired from the shortest format, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj also will be given rest as per workload management requirements.

It will be interesting to see if Rishabh Pant plays T20Is, as his workload is paramount for selectors and he is needed in longer formats.

In case Pant is rested, there could be a possibility that Ishan Kishan is once again reconsidered after having spent the nine months of this year in the international wilderness.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir will push for an aggressive approach and will not allow the opposition to take the initiative in the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, feels former batter Ajay Jadeja. India host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series beginning in Chennai from September 19, to be followed by three T20Is. “It is very clear, his approach is aggressive. One thing is sure, there will never be a dull moment with him around, he will always try something. He will do what he believes,” Jadeja told reporters when asked about the Indian team’s approach under Gambhir during the upcoming series.

“He (Gambhir) will not be somebody who will sit back and let things flow. He will be out there, he will try things like we saw Suryakumar Yadav becoming captain suddenly. I am looking forward to the excitement we are going to see this year.”

The 53-year-old Jadeja, who’s mostly remembered as a top ODI batter with 5359 runs from 196 matches at an average of 37.47, was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Cricket Association of Bengal’s annual awards function.

Asked whether he will offer suggestions to Gambhir, Jadeja said, “I hope he does not take suggestions. The reason why he is there is because of what he did and how he looks at it.

“I hope he does not take anybody’s advice and change his approach because what has made you who you are is something that you should believe in and stick to. He can always get better.” Jadeja served as mentor of the Afghanistan team during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

Bangladesh are coming after a historic Test series win in Pakistan but Jadeja said India is a “far superior” team.

“Any team which has come just after winning will always think they can win. But there is a difference between the Pakistan team at the moment with the India cricket team. The Indian team is a far superior team.

“But yes, from their (Bangladesh’s) point of view, they will believe that since they have beaten Pakistan, why cannot they (beat India). But we are a better side, but they will definitely be a handful. They play spin well, they bowl spin, so conditions suit.” Asked about the Indian team’s prospects in the upcoming Test tour of Australia beginning in November, Jadeja said, “November is far off but we have done well in Australia in the past. Why should we not think that we will do it again.

“We should only get better from there,” he added.

The Indian teams over the years have depended a lot on match simulations and Gautam Gambhir’s outfit is no different, selecting net bowlers with specific skill-sets who can help the batters get ready for the Bangladesh series starting here from September 19. One of the pacers called up for the four-day camp here is Punjab’s Gurnoor Brar, who has so far played five first-class matches and he was also with Punjab Kings during the IPL last season. While his first-class record isn’t flattering, what worked for the 24-year-old is his tall 6 feet 4.5 inch frame and the disconcerting bounce that he can generate with more than skiddy pace. It is understood that Gurnoor has been drafted in specifically to get some simulation for the high-arm action of Bangladesh pacer Nahid Rana, who had a match-haul of five wickets against Pakistan in a recent Test match at Rawalpindi.

The hallmark of Rana’s bowling is the bounce he generated from length with his 6ft 5 inch frame and generally bowled straight lines in the second Test against Pakistan.

It is understood that with two potent new ball bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in its ranks, India is unlikely to play on rank turners and the Chepauk strip could be one where pace bowlers and spinners both will get equal assistance.

The bounce could be more even and hence the lanky Bangladesh pacer Rana might come into the equation.

India’s new bowling coach Morne Morkel was seen giving some advice on how to bowl to star batters and what kind of specific net sessions they are looking at in the camp.

Mumbai off-spinner Himanshu Singh, whose action is believed to be similar to the legendary Ravichandran Ashwin, is also a part of the nets.

Tamil Nadu slow left-arm bowler S Ajit Ram also sweated it out at the nets.

During the second day at nets, pacers Akash Deep and Yash Dayal, the duo who might have to sit out if India play three specialist spinners, bowled more than the premier pace duo of Bumrah and Siraj.

The senior batters are now trying to get into the groove after a month-long break.

The Bangladesh team will be arriving in Chennai on Sunday. It is understood that there will be tight security for the visitors, who are coming right after the civil unrest in the country and subsequent ouster of former PM Sheikh Hasina.

In fact, new BCB chief Farukh Ahmed told reporters in Dhaka last Thursday that BCCI secretary Jay Shah has “assured” him necessary security arrangements.

“I have talked to Jay Shah and he has given us assurance regarding security,” Faruque told reporters after a meeting with the national team players at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

The stage is set. The preparations for the first Test between India and Bangladesh are underway at full throttle. With Rohit Sharma leading the pack, the Indian side will return to the longest format after a hiatus of six months, as they last faced England in a five-match series in March. The first match, which will begin from September 19, will be the first assignment of former South Africa pacer Morne Morkel as India’s new bowling coach. On Friday, Team India adapted a different approach during it’s first practice session.

As per a report by the Indian Express, under the guidance of head coach Gautam Gambhir and Morkel, Indian batters like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Yashasvi Jaiswal used two nets to bat. The black soil pitch was given to the spinners while the pacers took the red soil pitch.

The pitch at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai is known for favoring spin. Thus, the Indian side is experimenting with their options. India’s bowling line-up consists of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel as the spin options while Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Yash Dayal have been included as the pacers.

The report further stated that India have also kept some interesting names as their net bowlers. Spinners like Tamil Nadu’s S Ajith Ram, M Siddharth and P Vignesh were used in the nets. Pacer like Arpit Guleria, Gurnoon Brar, Yudhvir Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Simarjeet Singh, Gurjapneet Singh were also used as net bowlers.

It would be interesting to see how Rohit’s side approaches the game against a Bangladesh side, which is on a high following its 2-0 Test series win over Pakistan recently.

Vital World Test Championship (WTC) points are at stake in the two-match series as India get ready for a a gruelling 10-match Test season, which also includes a three-Test series at home against New Zealand and the five-match Border-Gavaskar series later this year in Australia.

India are currently heading the table with 68.52 percentage points, while Australia are a close second with 62.50 percentage points.

Bangladesh have jumped to fourth spot with 45.83 percentage points following their 10-wicket win over Pakistan in the opening Test and their amazing fightback in the second Test where wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das scored a century to singlehandedly guide the side to a series triumph.

After a long gap of 45 days, the Indian cricket team is set to return to action next week as they take on Bangladesh in the first Test of a two-match series in Chennai. Ahead of the series opener, the Rohit Sharma-led side assembled in Chennai on Friday, with head coach Gautam Gambhir leading a training session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The series will be Gambhir’s first Test assignement since taking over as head coach from Rahul Dravid in July. Since making their Test debut in 1932, India have featured in 579 matches. While they have won and lost 178 games each, a total of 222 matches have witnessed a stalemate.

If India beat Bangladesh in Chennai, the Rohit Sharma-led wil achieve a momentous feat. India will have 179 wins if they beat Bangladesh, meaning that Rohit and his men would surpass the number of losses in India’s Test cricket history for the first time since 1932.

Dravid’s last series as head coach saw India thump England 4-1 earlier this year. Star batter Virat Kohli had missed the series due to his son Akaay’s birth.

Vital World Test Championship (WTC) points are at stake in the two-match series as India get ready for a a gruelling 10-match Test season, which also includes a three-Test series at home against New Zealand and the five-match Border-Gavaskar series later this year in Australia.

India are currently leading the table with 68.52 percentage points, while Australia are a close second with 62.50 percentage points.

Bangladesh have jumped to fourth spot with 45.83 percentage points following their 10-wicket win over Pakistan in the opening Test and their amazing fightback in the second Test where wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das scored a century to singlehandedly guide the side to a series sweep.

The 2nd Test of the series will be played at the Green Park in Kanpur from September 27.

Indian squad for first Test against Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, and Yash Dayal

(With PTI Inputs)

Batting superstar Virat Kohli spent about 45 minutes in the nets and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah bowled full tilt as the Indian cricket team on Friday began its preparations for a two-Test series against Bangladesh. With the first Test against Bangladesh scheduled here from September 19, the entire squad, including skipper Rohit Sharma and Kohli, assembled at the MA Chidambaram Stadium for a closed door training session.

This would be the first home assignment for new head coach Gautam Gambhir. New bowling coach, South African great Morne Morkel, and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar were also in attendance.

The BCCI posted images of the first day of practice and wrote, “The countdown starts as Team India begin their preps for an exciting home season.” The images showed the entire squad listening attentively to Gambhir, his support staff and skipper Rohit.

“Virat was there for 45 minutes and Bumrah also bowled full throttle,” a local source told PTI Virat has flown in directly from London for the opening Test.

Wearing a yellow jersey, Rohit was seen emerging from the airport escorted by security personnel, in a PTI Video on Thursday night, while Kohli came from London in an early-morning flight.

The likes of Bumrah, KL Rahul and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant had reached the city on Thursday. Batter Sarfaraz Khan will join the squad after the Duleep Trophy game in Anantapur, where he is playing for India B right now.

The players are returning to the field after a much-needed break of more than a month and would look to put behind the disappointment of losing the ODI series against Sri Lanka in August, which was Gambhir’s first assignment as head coach after taking over Rahul Dravid.

It would be interesting to see how Rohit’s side approaches the game against a Bangladesh side, which is on a high following its 2-0 Test series win over Pakistan recently.

Vital World Test Championship (WTC) points are at stake in the two-match series as India get ready for a a gruelling 10-match Test season, which also includes a three-Test series at home against New Zealand and the five-match Border-Gavaskar series later this year in Australia.

India are currently heading the table with 68.52 percentage points, while Australia are a close second with 62.50 percentage points.

Bangladesh have jumped to fourth spot with 45.83 percentage points following their 10-wicket win over Pakistan in the opening Test and their amazing fightback in the second Test where wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das scored a century to singlehandedly guide the side to a series triumph.

The second Test of the India-Bangladesh series will be played in Kanpur from September 27.

Star India batter KL Rahul earned a recall to the side for the upcoming first Test against Bangladesh, starting September 19. The veteran batter, who last played a Test earlier this year on home conditions against England, is likely to reclaim his place from domestic stalwart Sarfaraz Khan, despite the latter impressing on his first-ever India call-up. For the unversed, Rahul only lost his place to Sarfaraz due to an injury. While analysing the squad, former India batter Aakash Chopra suggested that Rahul will have a point to prove.

Chopra pointed out that Rahul has been dropped too many times from the team, hinting that if the 50-Test veteran fails to score runs, an ‘atmosphere will be created’ to get him out of the team yet again.

“I personally like KL Rahul as a player. He will have to score runs. If he keeps scoring runs, he will keep moving forward. His fate is that he will always be in the shadows of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. These are the big guys. I feel Rahul is super talented, super skilled. He will keep playing until he keeps scoring runs. Although the team rates him very highly, an atmosphere gets created against him very quickly in Indian cricket,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Chopra added if he was the selector, he’d back someone like Rahul for a longer run considering the amount of “difficult runs” he has scored for the team.

“There are plenty of people who go after him. So he won’t get as long a rope as you would give to anyone else with the same caliber or pedigree. If it’s up to me, I would definitely give it because he has scored a lot of runs and difficult runs,” he added.

Meanwhile, India’s long Test season begins with the first of the two Tests against Bangladesh in Chennai, starting on September 19.

India’s squad for the 1st Test of the Bangladesh Test series: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.