Stand-in skipper KL Rahul would be eager to overcome his deficit as India is expected to go for the kill in the second Test against Bangladesh, which begins on Thursday in Mirpur, to improve their position in the tournament.
The race for the main two spots in the WTC standings has become more fascinating with India (55.77 PCT) climbing to the subsequent position following South Africa’s (54.55 PCT).
India’s bid for a second consecutive WTC final will be decided by the upcoming home series against Australia, but they can’t afford any mistakes against Bangladesh, who showed a lot of fight in the first Test after bad first innings with the bat.
With standard captain Rohit Sharma yet to recuperate from his thumb injury, no progressions are normal in the Indian playing eleven. Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav seized the opportunity presented by the first Test, and they succeeded.
Had Rohit been good for the game, it would have been very hard to drop Gill following his lady Test hundred in Chattogram. But that didn’t happen, and Gill will be eager to take advantage of another opportunity.
After his disappointing two innings in the first Test, Rahul will also try to lead from the front. The pitch, like Chattogram, is expected to be slow and good for batting, making it an ideal platform for Rahul to score runs before the Australia series.
It would be reasonable to say that Cheteshwar Pujara, who got back in the game with the oddball Test in England, has merged his number three situation with a 90 and an uncommonly going after 102 not out in the series-opener.
It was refreshing to see Pujara going after his shots in the second innings when India needed to move quickly.
Virat Kohli will also be ready to score his first hundred in a Test since November 2019.
In the second innings, India batted at a rate of more than four runs per over. It is unclear whether this positive approach was simply the need of the hour or a sign of things to come.
Considering the conditions, the pacers and slower bowlers alike will attempt to hit the stumps once more.
Kuldeep showed off his skill by taking eight wickets in the match, his first Test since February of last year. He was slightly under-bowled in the second innings in comparison to lead spinner R Ashwin and Axar Patel, but the left-arm wrist spinner still managed to take three wickets.
In spin-friendly conditions, Ashwin only took one wicket, and he will try to make up for that here.
With four strikes in the second inning, Axar demonstrated his utility to the team as the batters struggled against his fast left-arm spin. Based on how they batted on day four, Bangladesh will be confident in their chances as well.
Zakir Hasan, a rookie opener, has demonstrated that he belongs at this level. Senior batters like Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim will want to make big hundreds and learn from their mistakes.
Due to an injury, skipper Shakib Al Hasan was unable to bowl in the second innings, so Bangladesh has added left-arm spinner, Nasum Ahmed, to the team. Thursday is likely to be Nasum’s Test debut.
Mominul Haque, the team’s former captain, could also play.
He would be the first to admit that he did not have enough runs last year. However, he is an outstanding player and must be present. A player of Mominul’s caliber is impossible to lose. Russell Domingo, the head coach, stated, “He will definitely be considered for the second Test.”
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Das, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed, Zakir Hasan, and Rejaur Rahman Raja are Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Yasir Ali, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudul Hasan Joy.
India: Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), KL Rahul (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Cheteshwar Pujara (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Mohd. Abhimanyu Easwaran, Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, and Jaydev Unadkat.
The match begins at 9 a.m. IST.