The analyses of India’s squad for the first Test against Bangladesh have been aplenty.
The analyses of India’s squad for the first Test against Bangladesh have been aplenty. The return of Rishabh Pant and Yash Dayal’s maiden India call-up hogged the headlines, whereas Shreyas Iyer and Mukesh Kumar’s exclusion was another notable aspect.
Now the real test will be picking the playing XI, given the quality of the squad. The return of big names should make the work harder for the captain, Rohit Sharma, given he must make bold moves while forming the XI.
The openers are set; Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open. At No.3, Gill hasn’t been as consistent as the team would have liked, but he must continue as he looks to become better at adapting to the conditions before the big series against Australia down under.
Also Read: Five players who lost their place in India’s Test squad
Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant should form the middle order, with Pant set to keep the wickets after doing so well in all departments in the first round of the Duleep Trophy. Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel are other options who did exceptionally well in the England series, but India should prefer the experience, given how well they have done in their roles previously.
Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin are absolute musts in home Tests and will start in the XI. Kuldeep Yadav, who did a fabulous job in the England series earlier this year, should also make the cut and play as the third spinner over Axar Patel.
While Axar offers better batting value, Kuldeep is a better bowler and genuine wicket-taker with the ball. Further, India already have ample batting with Jadeja and Ashwin at No.7 and 8, meaning they can afford to play specialist bowlers in the remaining slot.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are the pacers who should start ahead of Akash Deep and Yash Dayal. Akash and Yash did a fine job in the Duleep Trophy fixture, but Bumrah and Siraj have more experience and higher quality than the two.
Maybe Bumrah will be rested for the second Test, which should open an opportunity for one of Akash and Yash to feature in the XI. The team can also rotate and rest Siraj for the second Test, and both can feature straightaway, but for the first game, India should go with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to be safe.
India Predicted Playing XI for 1st Test vs Bangladesh: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.
