3 player battles to watch out for in India vs Bangladesh 2024 1st Test ft. Virat Kohli vs Shakib al Hasan
The India-Bangladesh Test series starting on Thursday, September 19, carries equally significant but contrasting meanings for the participants. For India, it's just the start of their big Test season, with the main focus clearly on a tour of Australia and the welcome of England deep into the winter months.
India would want to start the Gautam Gambhir coaching era well in Test cricket, not take things lightly, and test out a few options.
For Bangladesh, it's their last Test tour till July 2025, almost like a final. They would be up and about after a historical whitewash of Pakistan. But the Bangla Tigers would know that India would be a much bigger fish to fry.
So, their aims are unlikely to be anything but pushing as much as possible for a result. Even a draw would be magnificent and a first win in history against the big neighbors might send the fans, some of them still recovering from the bloody protests, into never-seen-before ecstasy.
The results would ultimately come down to smaller, intricate player battles, some of which we have listed below:
#3 Jasprit Bumrah vs Mushfiqur Rahim
This would be one of the most key battles in Bangladesh's perspective. Wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim, now 37, remains their most crucial rock in the middle order, thanks to his ability to play big knocks in the toughest situations.
He has among the most sound techniques in Bangladesh and often remains unmoved by any number of bowling plans and field changes.
Against India, he has scored over 600 Test runs, including centuries home and away, at an average of 43.14, which is his third-best for opponents he has faced more than once. He's in excellent form, too, having just come off a match-winning 191 against Pakistan in the first Test at Rawalpindi.
But an immovable object would meet India's unstoppable force - Jasprit Bumrah. The ace quick is coming to this series after a long, deserved break since the 2024 T20 World Cup but given that India needs to Test the likes of Akash Deep and Yash Dayal, Bumrah might play the first Test.
He has often shown that he comes back brilliantly from breaks and Bangladesh would have to be wary of his pace and reverse swing in Chennai. Rahim is yet to face him in Tests and given the duo's form and match-winning abilities, this won't be less than a spectacle.
#2 Virat Kohli vs Shakib Al Hasan
India's spin game has unfortunately become an area of focus recently. The team's numbers against spin aren't as bad as some media coverage suggests. But specific issues for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, especially against left-arm spinners, have turned the spotlight a few levels brighter.
So, it's hard to not have them in the player battles. For Kohli, the major opponent would be Shakib Al Hasan, who has already got him out once in Tests and as many as five times in ODIs.
Shakib wasn't in his best touch but played a big role in Bangladesh's win in Pakistan with his five wickets across the two Tests. Soon after, he took nine wickets for Surrey in the one-off County Championship game against Somerset.
Kohli would be yearning for a positive start to the Test season and Shakib at probably another spin-friendly track in Chennai would present him with the perfect first obstacle. The winner of this battle of behemoths would gain the psychological edge.
#1 Mehidy Hasan Miraz vs Rohit Sharma
What Mushfiqur is for Bangladesh's batting, Mehidy Hasan Miraz is for their bowling. The left-arm spinner is one of the most consistent all-round performers in the world, and at just 26 years of age, looks set to follow Shakib's footsteps to all-format greatness.
The last time India and Bangladesh played a Test, he ran through the batting order with five wickets in the final innings in Mirpur, shocking India to 74/7 in the small chase of 145 runs. It took a monumental fightback from Ravichandran Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer for India to win.
India dearly felt Rohit's absence in the game. The skipper has made a habit of getting off to stable yet quick starts at the top of the order, which makes big chases believable and small ones like the above one, easy.
Mehidy would be high on confidence after his 10 wickets and two half-centuries against Pakistan and back himself against Rohit, probably even luring him to attack him more. They are yet to come across each other in Tests either but you can expect Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto to bring his favoured spinner at one-change if his pacers fail to scalp the Indian opener out.
This would be the battle for setting the tone of the Test and perhaps even the series.