Bangladesh have set out to make its home a fortress and are willing to roll out simply abominable pitches to secure its goal. India will need to be at their sharpest against the hosts who have a bug point to prove.
Bangladesh vs India | 14 – 18 December 2022 | Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
To Win Match
Bangladesh 7/2 | Draw 9/2 | India 5/10
The numbers tell us that Liton Das is Bangladesh’s best hope of getting enough runs on the board but they have also shown in the past that the Tigers bat deep.
Ebadot Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz will be out to Test India on a turning track.
Mushfiqur Rahim is still an important part of this team even if he has been frozen out of leadership and he often pulls the batting out of the fire.
Bangladesh need their young batters to stand up if they are to mount a serious chalenge.
Skipper Rohit Sharma was injured in the third ODI leaving KL Rahul to lead the team in this first Test match.
Abhimanyu Easwaran might get a look in as stand-in opener in the absence of Sharma with Shubman Gill a likely partner.
Rishabh Pant has been India’s secret weapon in Test cricket, racking up the runs in the longer format in recent matches and scoring at a tremendous rate.
The experience of Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami could well be a big miss for India.
Verdict: India 5/10
India have a point to prove after going down 2-1 in the ODIs. Back them to bounce back in the longer format against the hosts.
