🏏BD vs India - 1st Test: Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram 🏏

Preview

That the city was known as Chittagong is only part of the story. It was a very different world when India last played Test cricket in Chattogram.

India will be led by KL Rahul while Shakib Al Hasan will lead Bangladesh.

When last time, India arrived here in January 2010 with one of their great sides on a rampant run, and had a stand-in captain who couldn't be more different to MS Dhoni. "Bangladesh are an ordinary side," Virender Sehwag had famously said in the lead-up to the Test match back then, stunning a room full of journalists into disbelief. And there's more. "They can't beat India because they can't take 20 wickets," he was quick to add.

Bangladesh aren't the same side anymore. Shakib Al Hasan, also the captain then, surely no longer thinks that a "draw will be good", and for good reasons. Bangladesh have beaten the likes of West Indies, England and even Australia in the meantime, and are a force to reckon at home.

But that said, a lot also hasn't changed. Bangladesh still haven't been able to pick 20 wickets in a match against India, let alone take a Test off them. That the two teams have only met across five rubbers since that notable series in 2010 is a different story altogether, but the fact remains that India remain the superior side, and more so in these conditions in the subcontinent.

By how much will be on display over the next five days or so.❤️

A more rounded and ambitious hosts in Bangladesh wait in the wings for India, who have an eye on the World Test Championship final, and Chattogram might just not be as easy as Chittagong.

India made a roaring comeback in the third ODI and won the game by 227 runs. This was after Ishan Kishan’s maiden ODI double ton and Virat Kohli’s 44th ODI ton.

Both teams have played against each other in 11 Tests, 39 ODIs, and 12 T20Is. The Tigers have never beaten India in a Test match. In ODIs, India have won 31 matches, while the Tigers have won seven games. Bangladesh registered their second consecutive ODI series victory against India on home soil. They defeated the Men in Blue by a margin of 2-1 in recently concluded ODI series.

For India, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul Shreyas Iyer, and Ravindra Jadeja. Among bowlers, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Umesh Yadav will lead the attack. Rohit Sharma is ruled out of the first Test with an injured thumb.

Shakib Al Hasan will lead Bangladesh. Mominul Haque, Yasir Ali, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, and Mushfiqur Rahim are some key batsmen for the team. Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, and Shoriful Islam are some key bowlers for the team.

What to expect: A "batting paradise" in Taskin Ahmed's words. The venue is known for its conditions favouring batters and both teams, not just Bangladesh, will be put to task in picking 20 wickets on the playing surface here. That said, four of the last five Tests here have produced results and, notably, Bangladesh have lost three of those. The weather is set to be fair over the next five days.

Axar Patel is likely to come in as a like-for-like replacement for injured Ravindra Jadeja whereas Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav pick themselves in the absence of Bumrah and Shami. Will India go with Shardul Thakur's all-round abilities on a flat pitch, or include Saurabh Kumar as the third spinning option? Left-arm spinner Saurabh, like Abhimanyu, also comes in with relevant and recent experience on these shores and picked 15 wickets across two first-class games against Bangladesh A in the last couple of weeks. Jaydev Unadkat, who is still stuck in India, is obviously out of reckoning.

Bangladesh: Head coach Russell Domingo has confirmed that Bangladesh are "not going to risk" Taskin Ahmed, who is recovering from a back injury. Shakib Al Hasan, who was hit in the ribs by Umran Malik during the ODI series, continues to feel uncomfortable in his ribs although the scans he underwent again in Chattogram have come back clear. He is likely to put on that blazer in 23 degrees and lead Bangladesh at home once again.

Probable XI: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Liton Das, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ebadot Hossain, Khaled Ahmed, Taijul Islam.

India: Regular captain Rohit Sharma is out of the Chattogram Test with a finger injury and KL Rahul will lead the side in his absence. One of the first decisions that the stand-in skipper will be faced with is at the top, with regards to who will be his opening partner. Shubman Gill comes with promise and prior experience but uncapped Abhimanyu Easwaran, now 27, has been biding his time for far too long and, more importantly, comes in scores of 141 and 157 for India A in the last couple of weeks.

Probable XI: Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

Who said what

"Test cricket is always challenging. We have won Tests by taking it to the fifth day, so here too, we have to take the game into the fifth day" - Taskin Ahmed, Bangladesh fast bowler.

"If I look at it the other way, Umesh Yadav becomes a spearhead for us now. He has a lot of experience with him going into the Test match. I'm also happy with the way Siraj has delivered in Test cricket. The Test matches he has played for us in England and other venues, he has performed for us and won Test matches for us" - Paras Mhambrey, India bowling coach.

Both teams have played against each other in 11 Tests with India winning nine of them. The Tigers are yet to win a Test match against India.

The former skipper will open the batting for his side. Haque was the skipper of the side when the two teams last played a Test match in 2019. In seven Tests this year, he has scored 166 runs averaging 13.83.

The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship, with India in fourth place and Bangladesh as low as ninth. The World Test Championship final will be held at Lord's the following year.

Shanto will open the batting alongside Haque. He played all three ODIs but did not get big scores. The southpaw will want to contribute to the first Test. Shanto was Bangladesh’s top-scorer in the recently concluded T20 World Cup.

Pitch report

The pitch is a typical sub-continental track that favours the spinners. Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, two very capable spinners in Bangladesh's lineup, will be counted on by India to once again work their magic. As the game progresses, the surface will only get better for the spinners.

Weather Report

The weather will be warm and sunny for the majority of the Test match. The temperature will be 28 degrees Celsius, with the sun shining brightly. There is only a 6 percent chance of rain for the next five days.

India Have won toss & we have desides to bats

Shakib playing despite that Rib injury off umran delivery during ODI Leg