After a long gap of 45 days, the Indian cricket team is set to return to action next week as they take on Bangladesh in the first Test of a two-match series in Chennai. Ahead of the series opener, the Rohit Sharma-led side assembled in Chennai on Friday, with head coach Gautam Gambhir leading a training session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The series will be Gambhir’s first Test assignement since taking over as head coach from Rahul Dravid in July. Since making their Test debut in 1932, India have featured in 579 matches. While they have won and lost 178 games each, a total of 222 matches have witnessed a stalemate.
If India beat Bangladesh in Chennai, the Rohit Sharma-led wil achieve a momentous feat. India will have 179 wins if they beat Bangladesh, meaning that Rohit and his men would surpass the number of losses in India’s Test cricket history for the first time since 1932.
Dravid’s last series as head coach saw India thump England 4-1 earlier this year. Star batter Virat Kohli had missed the series due to his son Akaay’s birth.
Vital World Test Championship (WTC) points are at stake in the two-match series as India get ready for a a gruelling 10-match Test season, which also includes a three-Test series at home against New Zealand and the five-match Border-Gavaskar series later this year in Australia.
India are currently leading the table with 68.52 percentage points, while Australia are a close second with 62.50 percentage points.
Bangladesh have jumped to fourth spot with 45.83 percentage points following their 10-wicket win over Pakistan in the opening Test and their amazing fightback in the second Test where wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das scored a century to singlehandedly guide the side to a series sweep.
The 2nd Test of the series will be played at the Green Park in Kanpur from September 27.
Indian squad for first Test against Bangladesh: 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, and Yash Dayal
(With PTI Inputs)
