India they take on Bangladesh in the first of Two Tests at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on December 14.
In the absence of their regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who injured his palm during the second ODI in Bangladesh and missed the first Test, KL Rahul is acting as a stand-in captain.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, are being led by their inspirational captain Shakib Al Hasan. He is playing the game after complaining about a minor niggle on the eve of the Test match.
India aim to redeem after ODI series defeat
India suffered a humiliating ODI series defeat last week as they lost two consecutive games, courtesy of Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s heroics in the first two games. However, the visitors secured a consolation win in the third ODI and registered a massive win over the hosts, as Ishan Kishan broke several records en route to his maiden double hundred.
Inexperienced pace battery
Indians have fielded a strong batting lineup in the Tests but their bowling, especially the pace department, looks a touch weak. Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav will be leading a relatively inexperienced bowling line-up in the two Tests.
Will India spinners shine in Bangladesh?
The focus will be on the spin troika of R Ashwin, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav – who is making his Test comeback after a long gap. It will be interesting to see when Indian spinners will come into their act on the Bangladesh pitches, which have conventionally aided them.
Upbeat Bangladesh aim for an upset in WTC
Bangladesh, on the other hand, would be confident with the series win in the ODIs and would be looking to replicate the limited-overs success in the red-ball format. Shakib has some quality players at his disposal and would be looking to lead them by example and help Bangladesh register their first Test win against the mighty Indians.
Here are the live updates from Day 1 of the Test match:
1
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11:51 AM
Play resumes in Chattogram! Both Indian batters are into the middle and Ebadot Hossain starts the proceedings. Cheteshwar Pujara gets a breather on the second ball of the second session and gets a boundary.
11:10 AM
End of the first session and India reach 85/3 in 26 overs. Bangladesh will claim this session as they scalped three wickets in a cluster and rattled India’s top order. Shubman Gill and KL Rahul failed to convert the start they got in the first hour. But the biggest jolt to the visitors came in Virat Kohli – who was trapped in front by Taijul Islam – after facing five deliveries. India were 48 for three and found themselves reeling under pressure. Islam was the pick of the bowlers for the side. But after getting promoted to No. 5, Rishabh Pant – who has been India’s top-run scorer this year in Tests – once again played counter-attacking knock and helped India reach 85 for three in 26 overs before the umpires signalled lunch break.
Pant is batting on 29* off 32 balls and Cheteshwar Pujara is at the crease for 12*. They’ve shared a stand of 37 off 39 balls.
10:59 AM
SIX!! Rishabh Pant will play his trademark Test knock. Three wickets are already down but that didn’t stop the southpaw from playing big shots.
10:50 AM
50 up for India in the 22nd over but they’ve lost three big wickets.
10:38 AM
BIG Wicket! Virat Kohli has been trapped in front by Taijul Islam for 1. Pujara asked the batter to review it but the ball tracker confirmed all three Reds and India are in deep trouble now. They’ve lost three wickets in quick succession and even 50 runs are not on the board. Bangladesh are on top.
India – 48/3 in 19.3 overs
10:29 AM
Wicket! KL Rahul (22) departs as he chops onto the stumps and India lose another wicket in quick succession. Khaled Ahmed is delighted as he gets the Indian skipper. Same old flaw from KL Rahul costs him his wicket, yet again. Bangladesh have well and truly bounced back in this session as both the Indian openers are back in the pavilion. India – 45/2 in 18.1 overs.
10:07 AM
Wicket! After setting his eyes for almost an hour, Shubman Gill gifts his wicket in a soft dismissal. He attempts a paddle sweep against Taijul Islam but didn’t get the timing right. The ball gets a leading edge and flies towards the leg side and the batter is been caught at leg slip by Yasir Ali. India lose their first wicket for 41 in 13.2 overs
09:25 AM
Test Match or ODI? Spin into the attack in the 6th over! Shakib Al Hasan introduces himself early on with the aim to break this opening stand between Rahul and Gill.
09:16 AM
Ebadot Hossain is clocking 140 kmph every now and then in his first spell. The Indian batters are giving him respect early on as they look to get in the grooves.
09:12 AM
1st Innings! Indian opening duo of KL Rahul and Shubman Gill are out in the middle. Ebadot Hossain will start the proceedings with the new ball for Bangladesh.
09:10 AM
Bangladesh Playing XI: Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain.
09:09 AM
India Playing XI: Shubman Gill, KL Rahul(C), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(wk), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
09:08 AM
Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh Captain: We would have batted first. Looks to me a good wicket but history says that more wickets fall on the first day than the last day. Hopefully we can get some early wickets and put pressure on India. We’re playing a Test match after 5 months, that’s a big gap but we’ve prepared well and hopefully we can put on a good show. This is an important series hopefully we can put some (WTC) points on the board. We’ve got two seamers, three spinners and seven batsmen.
09:08 AM
KL Rahul: We’ll bat first. Looks a good wicket, put runs on the board and hope that the wicket breaks, use the foot-marks later on and try and see if we can take 20 wickets. There have been a few injuries, obviously we miss our captain Rohit and a few others but that gives opportunities to other guys. Everyone’s played a little bit of cricket and they’ll be excited to take on this challenge and contribute to the team. Kuldeep plays, there are 3 spinners – Axar, Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav – and two medium pacers – Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav.
Toss Update: India’s acting skipper KL Rahul has won the toss and elected to bat first against Bangladesh in the opening Test in Chattogram.
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