Picking a combined India-Bangladesh 11 ahead of 2024 Test series ft. Virat Kohli and Shakib Al Hasan
After an action-packed white-ball season that saw another thrilling IPL and a long-awaited ICC event triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup, the focus for Team India shifts to red-ball cricket. Rohit Sharma's men will take on Bangladesh in a two-Test home series, starting in Chennai on September 19.
The series will also be the first Test assignment for new head coach Gautam Gambhir, whose stint began with a mixed bag in the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. As for Bangladesh, they are on an all-time high after pulling off a stunning 2-0 Test series whitewash of Pakistan in Pakistan.
However, they will do well to remember that India has always got the better of them in the Test format, winning 11 of the 13 head-to-head games with two draws.
With the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) heading towards the business end, both teams will eye crucial points in the race to finish in the top two and qualify for the final next year.
As we get set for the start of a potential David and Goliath clash, here is a combined India-Bangladesh 11 based on their respective squads for the series.
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c) and Yashasvi Jaiswal
![Jaiswal has made an incredible start to his Test career [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/c4aa8-17265611545676-1920.jpg?w=500)
The current Indian Test opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will also perform the duties for this combined India-Bangladesh XI.
Rohit has been in excellent form in Tests this year with an average of over 45, including two centuries in six red-ball outings. He also led India to a terrific comeback 4-1 win over England earlier in the year despite the absence of several key players.
With overall 4,000 Test runs and 12 centuries in 59 games, skipper Rohit is a no brainer at the top of the order.
His Team India opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal has lit the Test arena on fire since his debut last year. Following a magnificent 171 on debut, the southpaw has gone from strength to strength, becoming the joint-sixth fastest to 1,000 Test runs.
Jaiswal's 712 runs against England was the second most by an Indian batter in a Test series behind only the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. The 22-year-old averages a phenomenal 68.53 with three centuries in only nine Test appearances.
Middle-order: Mominul Haque, Virat Kohli, Mushfiqur Rahim
![Indian fans eagerly await Kohli's return to Test cricket after missing the England series [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/e890d-17265616787724-1920.jpg)
Former Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque gets the nod at No.3, thanks to his impressive overall Test record over a long period of time. The 32-year-old has scored 4,143 runs at an average of over 38 with 12 centuries in 63 Tests.
Mominul has taken his game to the next level since last year, averaging 44 in eight Tests. For Bangladesh to have any chance of pulling off an upset in the India series, Mominul will have to come up with telling contributions.
There are no prizes for guessing that Virat Kohli comes in at No.4 in the India-Bangladesh XI. The champion batter missed the entire home Test series against England earlier this year and will be playing his first red-ball game since the South African tour at the end of last year.
Yet, Kohli was in outstanding form in Tests last year, averaging almost 56 in nine outings with two centuries and as many half-centuries. He also averages almost 95 against Bangladesh in home Tests.
The veteran is also only 152 runs shy of the magical 9,000-run mark in Tests and there is no reason why he shouldn't achieve the monumental feat in the Bangladesh series.
Arguably Bangladesh's Test batter, Mushfiqur Rahim, walks in at No.6 with much on his shoulders in the upcoming India series. The 37-year-old was the star in Bangladesh's first-ever Test win against Pakistan last month with a brilliant 191 in the first Test at Rawalpindi.
Rahim has averaged over 40 in each of his last four seasons since 2020 and averages over 63 in Tests since the beginning of 2023. The defiant right-hander has also tasted success against India in Tests with an average of 43.14 in eight outings.
Rahim has scored almost 6,000 runs in his 90-Test career at an average of over 39 with 11 centuries.
Wicketkeeper and All-rounders: Rishabh Pant, Shakib Al Hasan, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin
![Pant will be making his long-awaited red-ball comeback for India [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/28f48-17265625003768-1920.jpg)
The India-Bangladesh series will mark the comeback of wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant in Tests after 21 months. Incidentally, the southpaw's last Test for India came in the 2022 tour of Bangladesh.
While it remains to be seen how the 26-year-old fares on his Test return, his overall record cannot be questioned. Pant averages an outstanding 43.67 in 33 Tests, including five centuries and several match-winning knocks.
Coming to the all-rounders, India and Bangladesh are blessed with several specialists in Ravindra Jadeja, Shakib Al Hasan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. However, in a difficult decision, only the first three made the cut to this combined XI.
Shakib is undoutedly Bangladesh's greatest-ever Test cricketer for his massive contributions with bat and ball. The 37-year-old has scored over 4,500 runs at an average of 38.50, while also picking up 242 wickets at a 31.31 average in 69 Tests.
Despite his mediocre recent Test form and middling numbers against India, Shakib will potentially be the biggest thorn in the Indian side.
At No.8 and 9 come the dynamic Indian spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. India's most successful spin-bowling pair have a total of 810 Test wickets between them, including 49 five-wicket hauls.
The duo have also combined for over 6,000 Test runs with nine centuries, often bailing India out of trouble in tricky situations.
Beyond the batters and the pacers, Ashwin and Jadeja with their all-round prowess will likely be the biggest challenge for Bangladesh.
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj
![Bumrah and Siraj could prove to be lethal with the new ball against the Bangladesh openers [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/4fa99-17265634462958-1920.jpg)
Despite India and Bangladesh relying heavily on their spinners in home and other subcontinent conditions, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have still held their own with the new and old ball.
Coming to Bumrah, the pitch conditions have hardly mattered for the champion bowler, who continues to rise up the all-time rankings among pacers. The 30-year-old boasts an other-worldly Test record with 159 wickets in 36 outings at an average of 20.69, including 10 five-wicket hauls.
Even on the usually unhelpful Indian coditions, Bumrah averages a stunning 16.36 with the ball in eight matches.
Meanwhile, Siraj has flown under the radar with the other Indian players taking all the plaudits despite his excellent Test record. The 30-year-old has picked up 74 wickets in 27 Tests at an average of 29.68 with three five-wicket hauls.
Renowned for giving it everything at all times, Siraj has proved to be the ideal supporting act in the pace department to Bumrah's heroics in the absence of Mohammed Shami.