3 player battles to watch out for in IND vs BAN 1st Test
Team India will lock horns with hosts Bangladesh in a crucial Test series that starts with the first Test at Chattogram on Wednesday, December 14.
The visitors have quite a few injury concerns and are without their full-time Test captain Rohit Sharma. However, stand-in skipper KL Rahul and his men will know how crucial it is for them, They have to win this Test to remain in contention for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
India have to win five of their next six Tests to make it into the WTC's summit clash. Four of those will be against Australia, so they will hope to get off to a good start to their upcoming stretch of games with a win in Chattogram.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, lost their last home Test series against Sri Lanka but will have some confidence after beating India 2-1 in the ODI series.
Some world-class players in both camps are due to face off against each other during the match. These individual match-ups are crucial and could decide the fate of the game.
On that note, let's take a look at three such intriguing match-ups:
#3 Shakib Al Hasan vs Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin needs 8 more wickets to become the second Indian to complete 450 wickets in Tests.
Over the past few hours, reports have suggested that Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan is struggling with a niggle ahead of the first Test. He recently underwent a scan on his ribs, with head coach Russell Domingo stating that he had some struggles with his ribs and shoulders.
The hosts will be keen to have their star all-rounder fit for the game as he is crucial to their chances of doing well.
Should he play, Shakib will have his work cut out against Ravichandran Ashwin.The veteran off-spinner has simply been world-class in Tests, especially in subcontinent conditions, and also has a great record against Shakib in Tests.
Ashwin has conceded just 37 runs in 79 balls that he has bowled to Shakib and has dismissed the southpaw thrice. Both players will not hold back from trying to dominate each other and that makes this match-up even more interesting.
#2 Rishabh Pant vs Taijul Islam
Rishabh Pant smacks a left-arm spinner for a six. In other news, water is wet
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam has been Bangladesh's highest wicket-taker in the ongoing World Test Championship, having picked up 24 wickets from five matches. The hosts will rely on him to make inroads into the Indian middle order in the first Test at Chattogram.
However, there's a certain Rishabh Pant in the opposition ranks who seems to love taking down left-arm spinners in Tests. Pant will back himself to have a piece of Taijul if the duo comes up against each other.
However, Taijul will also know that the southpaw will come hard at him, giving him an opportunity for a possible dismissal. Additionally, Pant will enter this game on the back of a difficult run of form, so the Bangladesh spinner will fancy his chances.
This promises to be another exciting face-off to watch out for.
#1 Virat Kohli vs Mehidy Hasan
Mehidy has beaten Kohli in the air at least 3 times this innings
Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli has a terrific record against Bangladesh in Tests. He is also coming off a fantastic hundred in the third ODI against the same opposition at the same venue on December 10.
However, his problems against off-spin have been well-documented, especially in Tests. The likes of Moeen Ali and Nathan Lyon have troubled him in the past and Mehidy Hasan will have this match-up in mind when he comes up against the star Indian batter.
Kohli will want to assert his dominance in Tests again and will be looking for his first century in the format for quite some time. It will be interesting to see how he negotiates with the Bangladesh spinners, especially Mehidy Hasan.