Rohit Sharma leads full-strength ODI and Test squads for the first time in a long time to Bangladesh for 3 ODIs & 2 Tests. Spread over 3 weeks, the first of the 3 ODIs is set to begin on Sunday, December 4 followed by the 1st Test on December 14. This will not be an easy series for India even though they tour with their strongest squad in recent times. Here’s more…
Sharma is joined by Virat Kohli and KL Rahul along with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Washington Sundar who were part of the just concluded New Zealand tour.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, originally part of the squad will not be available for the ODIs as he is yet to fully recover from a September knee surgery. Bengal allrounder Shahbaz Ahmed has been named as his replacement. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will not make the cut either as he is under the care of the NCA medical staff as he continues to recover from a stress reaction in his back.
Cheteshwar Pujara is back for the Tests while Hardik Pandya has been given a break for the entire tour.
Bangladesh’s qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup depended on the series until the second ODI between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan was washed out. The result made Bangladesh one of seven teams to secure direct qualification for the World Cup.
Bangladesh will be led by Tamim Iqbal, under whom they have won five of their last six ODI series, including their maiden series victory in South Africa in March this year. Iqbal’s win percentage of 59.25 is currently the best for a Bangladesh captain in ODIs.
The hosts also see all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan make a comeback to a strong Bangladeshi side to what will be an interesting faceoff given the history of bilateral meetings between the two on Bangladeshi soil.
India and Bangladesh have some checkered history off the cricket pitch rather than on it. On social media that is. The banter and slander got so heated over time that Shakib al Hasan was forced to call for some decency from fans.
On the pitch though the Indians have had the upper hand, the Bangla Tigers have run them to some close finishes over the years. This is not going to be an easy series for India even though they tour with their strongest squad in recent times.
HISTORY
ODI
Played: 36
India: 30
Bangladesh: 5
No result: 1
Tests
Played: 11
India: 9
Bangladesh: 0Draw: 2
SQUADS
ODI
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal (Captain), Yasir Ali, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, Anamul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed
India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shahbaz Ahmed, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen
Test
Bangladesh: TBC
India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav
SCHEDULE
1st ODI – Sunday, December 4
2nd ODI – Wednesday, December 7
3rd ODI – Saturday, December 10
All matches are at The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka
1st Test – December 14 -18, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram
2nd Test – December 22 – 26, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka
Closer to the games, we will be announcing our Fantasy Picks. Stay tuned!
Who Makes Your 11?
