New Delhi, Sept 18: Amidst a crazy heatwave in Chennai, a formidable Indian side will be aiming to begin its international home season on a high against confident Bangladesh in the Test series opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium Thursday.

While India are returning to red-ball action after a gap of six months and last defeated England 4-1 in January, Bangladesh come on the back of a remarkable 2-0 series win over Pakistan, their first series victory over the side in Test cricket, in Rawalpindi, indicating that they won’t be just mere pushovers this time around.

Bangladesh’s recent good form and India’s home domination has led to anticipation about how this Test series would pan out, as compared to chatter around its previous editions being of lopsided affairs.

The red-soil pitch will bring good bounce and carry, but with soaring temperatures in Chennai, spinners will come more into picture.

India will be welcoming back Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul into Test cricket action after varying long periods of absence. Their return means Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel will be warming the bench. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja along with Kuldeep Yadav will be the key in leading India’s charge with spin, while their valuable batting runs would also be an aspect which will be the difference between a good total and a winning score.

For Bangladesh, they come with a dash of belief in their abilities and confidence to continue their good work after the historic triumph in Rawalpindi. With Chennai set to aid spinners, it means either Taijul Islam or Nayeem Hasanis are likely to enter the playing eleven.

With head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe stating Bangladesh have all bases covered, it means they have all the ingredients in their arsenal – crafty spinners, exciting pacers and gritty batters – to surprise India in Chennai. The task may be improbable, but with nothing to lose, Bangladesh will be buoyed to shine bright under unforgiving Chennai heat, provided India immediately hits the ground running as a dominant force at home.

The Squads

India: 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.

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumer Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Jaker Ali Anik.

* Match starts at 9:30am on JioCinema (digital) and Sports18 (TV)

(IANS)

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