India start as overwhelming favourites against visitors
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Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Karun Nair in a practice session at Hyderabad on Wednesday. Image Source: XtraTime[/caption]Debasis Sen, Hyderabad: It will be a tricky selection dilemma for Team India captain Virat Kohli, ahead of the one-off test match against Bangladesh, which starts at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium from Thursday. Ajinkya Rahane is likely to be included in the playing XI and may be preferred over Karun Nair, who scored a triple century in the last test match that India played against England at Chennai.
Rahane is coming back after an injury he inflicted ahead of the fourth test against England at Wankhede. He got injured in his finger and was ruled out for the test.
It will be unfortunate for Karun Nair to sit out after doing well in his last test match. For the first time in the history of 87 years of test cricket a cricketer will be dropped after scoring a triple ton.
Andy Sandham of England was dropped after scoring 325 runs against West Indies at Sabina Park in 1930.
Indian captain hinted that Rahane will be preferred over Nair in his pre-match press conference today.
“See, I feel one game doesn’t overshadow two years of hard work from another player. You have to understand that Jinks has done for the team over the last two years. He averages almost 50 in the last two years and he is probably the most solid batsman in the team in the Test format. We will look at him from that point of view certainly. Karun was stepping into his shoes what he did was remarkable.
Sealing a spot as far as the squad is concerned – that’ what Karun did. But you can’t overlook two years of hard work from Ajinkya with just one Test match. He deserves to walk back into the team whenever he is fit,” said Indian captain Virat Kohli in his pre-match press conference.
Apart from the selection dilemma, the hosts will start as overwhelming favourites against minnows Bangladesh in a proverbial ‘David vs Goliath’ one-off cricket Test match.
On paper, it is the ‘Battle of Unequals’ with World No 1 taking on World No 9 but in the game of glorious uncertainties, rankings often go for a toss.
For Bangladesh, it is a historic moment as they are playing a Test match on Indian soil for the first time but for the hosts, it will be more about maintaining the momentum they have acquired having won 7 out of the 8 matches against comparatively better sides like New Zealand and England.
But when it comes to cricket in whites, Bangladesh have not been able to replicate their performances in white ball cricket in which they have been different beasts altogether.
That they have managed to lose a match against New Zealand as recently as last month, after scoring nearly 550 in first innings, shows that even after 16 years in Test circuit, they have not been able to decode the winning formula in a five day format.
The last time when India played Bangladesh in a one-off Test at Fatullah, it was the rain God that came to the rescue of the ‘Tigers’ as their fans affectionately call them. Worse they don’t have a bowler of Mustafizur Rahaman’s calibre in the team, someone who knew this ground well enough.
All these statistical nuggets make India runaway favourites who would be aiming to close the deal within four days if not five in what could turn out to be a pretty one-sided affair considering the composition of the teams.
The Indian team does have its share of ‘happy problems’ as they have a number of players, who can walk into the playing XI but Kohli and coach Anil Kumble will have to tread the tricky path.
Comeback man Abhinav Mukund will have to wait unless something happens to two regular openers.
The Indian batting order may look like this – Murali Vijay will be opening the innings with KL Rahul. The middle order will comprise of Cheteswar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane followed by Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha and Ravindra Jadeja. Jayant Yadav will come in next followed by Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.
With world’s premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin two short of completing the fastest ever to reach 250 wickets and the deadly accurate Ravindra Jadeja for company, the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar or Mahmuddlah Riyadh won’t exactly find any easy pickings.
In fact, the last time in Fatullah, none of the Bangladeshi batsmen were able to read Ashwin.
Not to forget the lively pace of Umesh Yadav and disconcerting bounce generated by Ishant Sharma.
The interesting part about India’s home Tests this season has been that whether it is by choice or by design, Kohli have had to change his playing XI most of the times.
The playing XI will feature some forced changes. Wriddhiman Saha will be back behind the stumps replacing Parthiv Patel while Amit Mishra, who was in the playing XI in Chennai is out with injury.
He will be replaced by Jayant Yadav, whose steady off-spin and good technique with the willow impressed one and all is expected to get his place back in the side.
Ishant and Umesh are certainly first choice new ball bowlers even though Bhuvneshwar Kumar in limited chances has done his case no harm.
For Virat Kohli and his boys, the Test gives them an ideal opportunity to break a few more records against a bowling attack where the only quality international level bowler is Shakib Al Hasan.
Kohli, who has been in rich vein of form in Test cricket will certainly not mind a substancial score against the likes of Mehdi Hasan Miraz, Shafiul Islam and Taskin Ahmed.
Bangladesh’s strength will be their spinners Shakib Al Hasan and young Miraz, who made an impression against England on home soil.
But Miraz’s real test will be against the likes of Vijay, Pujara and Kohli – three brilliant players of spin bowling, especially Vijay, who can take on the spinners anytime anywhere.
Teams
India (likely XI) : Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jayant Yadav
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