IND vs BAN: Key Takeaways from Indian Test Squad Announcement

IND vs BAN: The Indian cricket team is all set to take on Bangladesh in the upcoming two-match Test series at home, which is all set to kickstart on 19th September. The Men in Blue will kick off their Test cricket season, which includes a total of 10 Test matches in 5 months, with the upcoming series against Bangladesh. After Bangladesh, India will meet New Zealand and Australia for the Test series.

Meanwhile, as the Indian cricket team led by captain Rohit Sharma is gearing up for the upcoming series against the Bangladesh cricket team, BCCI on Sunday announced the Indian squad for the first Test match.

In this article, we bring you some key takeaways from the Indian squad announced by the BCCI for the first IND vs BAN Test match against Bangladesh:

Rishabh Pant Makes Test Comeback

To everyone’s delight, India’s most loved Rishabh Pant is all set to mark his return to the longest format of the game after his tragic accident back in December 2022.

In a mother of all coincidences, Rishabh Pant’s last appearance for India in the Test format was also against the Bangladesh cricket team in December 2022. And his return to the Test format for India is also going to be against Bangladesh.

Almost after a week of India’s Test match against Bangladesh at Mirpur from December 22-25 2022, the southpaw met with a fatal car accident before making his return to cricket only in the IPL this year. He was also a part of the squad that won the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy in the West Indies earlier this year.

Jasprit Bumrah And Mohammed Shami Return to International Cricket

Besides Rishabh Pant, the India vs Bangladesh Test series will also witness the return of India’s bowling sensation Jasprit Bumrah, who has been on a break since India’s T20 World Cup 2024. Jasprit Bumrah will be teaming up with Mohammed Siraj in the upcoming Test series, with Akash Deep and Yash Dayal being the other two pacers in the side.

Shami was last seen in action at the India vs Australia ODI World Cup Final match in Ahmedabad in November 2023. Shami has since remained on the sidelines because of an ankle injury, for which he also underwent surgery in the UK in February this year.

On the other hand, Yash Dayal has earned a maiden call-up to the Indian cricket team for the opening Test match.

Spin Attack Dominates Squad Selection

India’s pace attack will be well-supported by a smart spin attack. The Indian cricket team has opted for a spin-heavy attack with four spinners in the side; Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, all keeping their places in the side.

Dhruv Jurel Retained in the Squad

Dhruv Jurel, who made his Test debut earlier this year during the series against the England cricket team, has retained his place in the squad.

For the unversed, Dhruv Jurel received his maiden call-up in the Test format following the inconsistent performances from senior keeper-batter KS Bharat. Dhruv impressed one and all with his crucial contributions in the middle-order, including his powerful knock of 90 runs in his second Test match in Ranchi.

However, Pant is expected to be India’s first-choice keeper-batter in the series. In addition to the significant Test credentials, Rishabh Pant has been an India regular in the white-ball formats.

Virat Kohli Rejoins the Test Team

India’s superstar batter, Virat Kohli is all set to return to action after a short break. The cricketer has returned to the Test format after missing the series against the England cricket team because of personal reasons.

Virat made himself unavailable for the selection in the upcoming five-match series and the focus will be on the star batter as he is gearing up to play in the red-ball format for the first time this year.

Shreyas Iyer Left Out Despite Recent Form

Despite being in stellar form, having scored a brisk half-century for India D in the second innings of the Duleep Trophy match against India C, Shreyas Iyer’s performance wasn’t enough to secure a Test selection.

The year 2024 has been a roller-coaster for Shreyas Iyer, after sustaining an injury during India’s Test series against the England cricket team. However, the selection of Shreyas Iyer in the Indian squad has come out as a major boost for the star cricketer.

Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul Secured Spots

Sarfaraz Khan, who impressed one and all with his aggressive batting style in his debut series against England earlier this year, has managed to retain his spot in the squad. On the other hand, KL Rahul was also preferred over Shreyas Iyer.

Team India’s squad for the 1st IND vs BAN Test:

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 Daya

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