Will the Indian team play with 3 pacers in the 1st match vs Bangladesh?

In just 3 days, the Indian national cricket team will play the first game of a 2-match Test series against Bangladesh on 19th September at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This will be the first time since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that the Indian team will be playing a Test series, as part of the ICC World Test Championship schedule for 2025. This Test series holds great importance for Rohit and Co., as before the Border Gavaskar Trophy, India will play two home series—one against Bangladesh and one against New Zealand, both consisting of 2 matches each.

Looking at India’s Test squad for the first series, they have selected four fast bowlers, with ace player Jasprit Bumrah making his return to international cricket after his brilliant performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where he was the second-highest wicket-taker for the Men in Blue in 8 games, with a bowling economy of 4. Alongside the senior player, the Indian team management has also picked Yash Dayal and Akash Deep after their impressive performances in the Duleep Trophy, with Mohammed Siraj retaining his place in India’s Test team despite his below-par recent performances.

The question now is whether the Indian team will stick with the same strategy they have been using for the last 6 months—fielding 3 pacers and 2 spinners on the spin-friendly Chepauk Stadium pitch—or whether they will opt for 2 pacers and 3 spinners, given that Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, and Axar Patel are all part of the squad.

This question arises because spinners have historically performed better for India in Chennai compared to pacers. Pacers have bowled 194 overs, picking up 16 wickets while conceding 513 runs. Meanwhile, spinners have dominated by taking 63 wickets in 628 overs, conceding 1,748 runs. Thus, relying on three pacers might prove costly for India.

India’s squad for the 1st Test of the Bangladesh series:

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.