Before the action in Chattogram begins; let's take a look at the players to keep an eye on during the series.
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The Indian team will be back in Test whites when they face Bangladesh in the first of two Tests, which begins on December 14th in Chattogram. It will be their first Test since the delayed 5th Test against England last July. The series is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23, and hence these games are crucial for India if they are to qualify for the final, which will be hosted at the Oval next year. They are now fourth in the standings, with four other teams vying for the two remaining positions in the final. If India wins this series 2-0, it increases its chances of making the finals. The series, however, will not be simple, as the Bangla Tigers demonstrated in the ODI series that they are no pushovers. Before the action in Chattogram begins; let’s take a look at the players to keep an eye on during the series.
With 29 wickets in seven games this cycle, Ashwin is India’s third-highest wicket-taker. Bumrah and Shami, India’s two highest wicket-takers in this edition, will both miss this series, as well as Ashwin’s spin partner Ravindra Jadeja, so a lot will be riding on India’s best-ranked Test bowler to perform with the ball. Ashwin has 16 wickets in seven innings against the Tigers and will like to add to that total.
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Islam, a left-arm orthodox, is Bangladesh’s best wicket-taker in this round of the WTC, with 24 wickets in five games. He’s also taken two five-wicket hauls. He would be a vital element of the hosts’ bowling attack with pitches expected to turn from day one. However, India has played him superbly. In five innings against India, he has only four wickets. Things could change if the conditions favour him, since Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant have yet to play a Test match in Bangladesh.
Pant is unquestionably the x-factor in India’s lineup. Throughout his Test career, he has consistently risen to the occasion, whether it was his century in South Africa or his century against England. Not surprisingly, he is India’s leading run-scorer in the current WTC, having scored 720 runs in 18 innings, including four half-centuries and two centuries at a strike rate of 78.94. He has an outstanding record against right-arm off-spinners and left-arm orthodox. He has 278 runs at a strike rate of 133.7 in 11 innings this year, with only four outs. As a result, Bangladesh’s spinners will be wary of Pant.
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