India vs Bangladesh: 3 players to watch out from the Indian team

In less than a week, the Indian team will embark on their first Test series after their historic win in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where they defeated South Africa by 7 runs. This upcoming series will be crucial for the Indian national cricket team as they look ahead to their upcoming Test fixtures, which include a couple of home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, before traveling to Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The road to the ICC World Test Championship will begin with a 2-match home Test series against Bangladesh, starting on 19th September 2024 in Chennai.

The Bangladesh team enters this series with confidence after achieving their first-ever 2-0 Test series whitewash against Pakistan in international cricket. In contrast, the Indian national cricket team last played a Test series against England before the T20 World Cup, winning it 4-1 at home, with standout performances from young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and Sarfaraz Khan. As a result, the pressure will be on the Indian players, many of whom are playing their first Test since the England series. The squad selection was based on players' performances in India’s domestic season.

Now, let’s take a look at three Indian players to watch out for in the upcoming series:

1. Virat Kohli:

Virat Kohli will be playing Test cricket at home after a long break of 17 months, having last played against Australia in February 2023 in a 4-match Test series, which India won 2-1. Kohli was also part of the South Africa tour earlier in 2024, where India played a 2-match Test series.

Kohli returns to international cricket after a two-month break following the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, during which he announced his retirement from the shorter formats to give younger players opportunities and focus on major events. It will be interesting to see how India’s "run machine" performs in the home Test series against Bangladesh.

2. KL Rahul:

Despite his poor performance in the 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which India lost 2-1, KL Rahul has been backed by the Indian team management due to his experience as a solid middle-order batter. He has been picked in the squad alongside Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, and Sarfaraz Khan, the latter of whom performed brilliantly in the last series against England. It is evident that Gautam Gambhir and the team management are relying on KL Rahul’s experience, especially when compared to the younger players who are still early in their careers.

This series could be Rahul’s last chance to solidify his place in the Indian team ahead of the ICC World Test Championship.

3. Ravichandran Ashwin:

Another key player for the first match against Bangladesh is local boy Ravichandran Ashwin. He has been named in the Indian squad alongside Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja. Ashwin has an impressive record at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, with 30 wickets in 4 games on the spin-friendly pitch at Chepauk.

Ashwin was last seen in the home Test series against England, where he finished as India’s highest wicket-taker, claiming 26 wickets in 10 innings. We already know Ashwin's knack for taking wickets with his clever bowling, and on a surface that offers a lot of assistance to spinners, he is certainly a player to watch out for in this series.