The Indian cricket team will return to action after 43 days when they take the field against Bangladesh in the first Test of a two match series that is crucial to their hopes of reaching the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the series opener on Sunday (September 8) with the return of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant is the big news.
With India keeping their Test core intact, there is no debate on who the top four will be as Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are set to open the batting with Shubman Gill assuming the number three role. Making a comeback to the side in the longest format after missing the England series due to personal reasons, Kohli will take the number four spot.
The big question in the playing XI will come down to the number five spot, with KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan set to battle for the role. Rahul impressed in the middle order during the away Test series against South Africa and the first Test against England but missed the last four games due to injury. In his absence, Sarfaraz made his Test debut and hit three half-centuries in as many matches.
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However, Rahul's presence in the Test squad means that India retain faith in him. The 32-year-old should get the nod over Sarfaraz for the series opener.
Risahbh Pant is likely to play a Test match after 21 months and be India's designated wicketkeeper batter despite Dhruv Jurel's impressive showing against England.
India's legendary spin-bowling pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin will be reunited as the star all-rounders take the number seven and eight spots.
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Another big question mark in the playing XI will come down between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav for the third spinner spot. While Axar has been extremely consistent for Team India with bat and ball across all three formats; Kuldeep benched him for the last three Tests against England. The left-arm wrist spinner brings an x-factor to India’s bowling and should retain his spot in the playing XI after playing a key role in the home team’s victory over the Ben Stokes-led outfit earlier in the year.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will be the two specialist pacers in the squad, which means Akash Deep will have to wait for a chance and Yash Dayal's debut is unlikely to take place in Chennai.
India Strongest 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
India Squad For Bangladesh 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, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.