India vs Bangladesh: 3 players battles to watch out for

India are already leading the 2-match Test series against Bangladesh after winning the opening game by a huge margin of 280 runs in Chennai. With this victory, the Indian team has shown the cricketing world that they are the number one contenders for the ICC World Test Championship scheduled in 2025. Rohit and his team are currently leading the ICC World Championship standings with a win percentage of 71.67, having played 10 games, winning 7, and losing 2. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh national cricket team recently climbed to 4th position from 7th after whitewashing Pakistan in a 2-match series at home for the first time in international cricket. However, following their defeat against Rohit and Co., Bangladesh has slipped to 6th place, just three positions higher than Pakistan, South Africa, and the West Indies.

Looking at the ICC World Test Championship standings, the next match for Shanto and his team will be crucial for staying alive in the competition for a top-2 finish. It will be interesting to see how Bangladesh responds in the final Test of the series, which could depend on players who have a good head-to-head record against their Indian counterparts. Let's look at three key player battles to watch out for.

1. Virat Kohli vs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz

Despite his recent struggles in international cricket, it's hard to discount Virat Kohli, given what he can bring to the table on any given day. Kohli is making his return to the red-ball format after missing the home series against England due to personal reasons. However, in his comeback game, he failed to score big, managing just 6 and 17 runs in the two innings.

With India’s busy Test schedule over the next few months—including a home Test series against New Zealand and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia—Kohli will be eager to regain his lost form. But he faces a tough challenge in Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who has dismissed him twice, conceding just 68 runs off 121 balls.

2. Litton Das vs. Ravindra Jadeja

Litton Das played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s win over Pakistan by avoiding the follow-on in the second match of that series. He scored 138 runs and formed a crucial, match-saving partnership with Mehidy Hasan Miraz to keep Bangladesh in the competition. However, Das has struggled against Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, being dismissed twice in 2 innings for 22 and 1 runs, respectively. Given the importance of the final match of the series, it will be interesting to see how Litton Das fares against Jadeja on the spinning track of Green Park in Kanpur.

3. Yashasvi Jaiswal vs. Nahid Rana

Another exciting contest to watch will be between two young players: India’s opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal and Bangladesh’s new pace sensation Nahid Rana. Despite getting a good start in the opening innings, Jaiswal was dismissed for 56 by Rana. In the second innings, he again fell to Rana, this time for just 10 runs. Jaiswal will be eager to improve his stats against the Bangladeshi pacer, while Rana will look to continue dominating the left-hander.