[WATCH] Team India sweat it out in the nets ahead of the 2nd Test against Bangladesh
Team India are all geared up for the second Test against Bangladesh, which starts in Mirpur, Dhaka on Thursday, December 22. KL Rahul and Co. currently lead the two-match series 1-0.
On the eve of the second Test, the visitors underwent a quality training session in the nets ahead of the second Test. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared the video on Instagram and captioned it as:
“Preps. Just one sleep away from the second.”
The clip showed Ravichandran Ashwin, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli doing catching practice. Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Shreyas Iyer aced their batting skills, while Jaydev Unadkat and Kuldeep Yadav could be seen bowling in the nets.
The hosts will look for another clinical performance in Dhaka to secure the series by a 2-0 margin and boost their prospects of reaching the ongoing World Test Championship final, scheduled to take place next year.
Team India won the opening Test by 188 runs on the back of a fine all-round performance. Cheteshwar Pujara, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Ravichandran Ashwin starred with the bat, while Kuldeep Yadav produced an all-round show, picking up eight wickets and scoring 40 runs.
India likely to play the same playing XI against Bangladesh - Wasim Jaffer
Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer believes that KL Rahul and Co. will remain unchanged for the second Test against Bangladesh. Rohit Sharma was reportedly in line to make a comeback, but now that he has been ruled out, any change looks unlikely.
Speaking on the same lines on ESPNCricinfo, Jaffer said:
“India will most likely go with the same playing XI. Three spinners and two seamers are probably the best bowling attack in Mirpur. The pitch will help the bowlers more if we compare it to the Chattogram pitch.”
With Rohit ruled out of the second Test due to a thumb injury, Jaffer reckons there will be no selection headache for the Indian think tank with the opener's slot.
“At least for this Test, there is no selection headache, but going forward for the Australia series, one of the two will play," he added. "So, this Test will be very important, more so for KL Rahul because of late, he hasn't been in the best of form. We are not seeing the best of KL Rahul. He sometimes seems a bit subdued in his strokeplay.”
For the uninitiated, stand-in skipper Rahul registered 22 and 23 in the first Test against Bangladesh. He got starts in both games but failed to make it count. He will hope to play a big knock in the second Test and make a case for himself ahead of the upcoming series.
NEWS - Rohit Sharma and Navdeep Saini ruled out of second Test against Bangladesh.
More details here - bcci.tv/articles/2022/… #BANvIND https://t.co/qmVmyU5bQ6
Team India squad for Bangladesh Tests: KL Rahul (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara (Vice-Captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), KS Bharat (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Saurabh Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat.