India vs Bangladesh: IND Playing 11 for BAN, 1st Test

India takes on Bangladesh in the first of two-match Test series to be played in Chattogram from December 14-18. The second will be played in Dhaka from December 22 to 26. India will head into the first Test after losing the ODI series and has a point to prove. The series is a part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship.

India and Bangladesh last faced each other in a bilateral series in 2019. During the series, India and Bangladesh played three T20Is and two Tests. India won the T20I series 2-1 and the Test series 2-0.

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Both teams have played against each other in 11 Tests, 38 ODIs, and 11 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 by beating India 2-1. They defeated the Men in Blue by a margin of 2-1 in 2015.

The Indian team has a few injury concerns heading into the first Test. Rohit Sharma is ruled out with a thumb injury. KL Rahul will lead the side in his absence. Mohammed Shami is also ruled out with a shoulder injury. Ravindra Jadeja jas not recovered yet from his knee injury. The BCCI selection committee has named Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Kumar as replacements. Jaydev Unadkat has also been added to the squad. In this article, we take a look at India’s probable playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh.

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India vs Bangladesh: IND Playing 11 for BAN, 1st Test

KL Rahul (C)

Rahul will open the batting and also lead the side. He led the side earlier this year as well against South Africa which India lost. He scored 70-odd in the first ODI which was his only performance of note in the series.

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Shubman Gill

Gill did not play the ODIs against Bangladesh and was added to the Test side. The youngster has already scored over 500 runs in ODIs this year. This will be just his second Test in 2022.

Cheteshwar Pujara

The veteran is back to the Indian Test side and will slot in at number three. Cheteshwat Pujara has played over 100 Tets matches for India so far scoring nearly 6800 runs. This year he has played three Test matches so far.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli will slot in at four. He is fresh off his 44th ODI ton which was his 72nd overall. Kohli stepped down as India’s Test captain earlier this year. In four Tests this year, he has scored 220 runs at an average of 31.43.

Shreyas Iyer

Iyer scored 109 runs in the three-match ODI series averaging 36.33. He will slot at number five in the first Test. The right-hander has played three Tests this year scoring 220 runs at an average of 44.00.

Rishabh Pant (WK)

Pant is back in the Test squad and should bat at number six in the lineup. He was released from the squad in the ODI series on medical grounds and is back now in the Test squad. He is the top-scorer for India in Tests this year with 532 runs in five matches averaging 66.50.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin will slot in at number seven as one of the specialist spinners. India should ideally go with three as the pitch will assist spin more than pace as the match goes on. The off-spinner has taken 13 wickets in 4 Tests this year.

Axar Patel

Axar Patel should be the second spinner in the lineup. Seeing the help that Shakib Al Hasan got in the ODI series, he should be picked as the second spinner. Patel has played just one Test match this year picking up three wickets.

Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav will lead the pace attack in the absence of Jasprit BUmrah and Mohammed Shami. After playing in the T20I series against Australia earlier this year, Umesh has made a comeback into the Test side.

Navdeep Saini / Mohammed Siraj

One among Saini or Siraj can be the second seamer in the playing XI. Siraj did play in the ODI series while Saini has been called up as a replacement.

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep will conclude the likely playing XI as the third specialist spinner. He was called up for the final ODI and now has been added to the Test side. He played his last Test in February 2021.

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Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah