Mustafizur Rahman left out of Bangladesh's squad for India Test

What’s the story?

Bangladesh have announced a 15-member squad to take on India in the upcoming Test match in Hyderabad. The 21-year old Mustafizur Rahman has been left out owing to his injury-prone nature. Mushfiqur Rahim returns to lead the team while Mominul Haque and Imrul Kayes also find a way back after missing the previous Test in Christchurch.

Minhazul Abedin, Bangladesh’s Chief Selector, said, “He (Mustafizur) still has some deficiencies in skill and fitness. In a Test match, a bowler has to bowl for a longer period of time and Mustafiz, yet, hasn’t achieved that kind of fitness. To attain desired skills for Test cricket, he requires much time. We had included him for the second Test in New Zealand since many of our players were ruled out due to injuries, but now we are preparing him for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.”

He added, “We are also planning to give Mustafiz a chance to play a match of BCL (Bangladesh Cricket League). He is out of action for a longer period of time and we have to observe him first. If we find him fit enough for the Test cricket, then we will consider him again.”

In case you didn’t know...

The solitary Test will be Bangladesh’s first-ever on Indian soil. With this clash, they will have completed touring every Test-playing nation. During their recently concluded tour to New Zealand, they showed considerable fight even though the scoreline read 0-2.

The heart of the matter

Abedin admitted that India are a superior side to Bangladesh and the Test will be a tough proposition. However, he alluded to the recently improving players in his team whilst hoping for a reasonable showing in the game.

Having scored a double ton in a BCL fixture, Liton Das makes a comeback. He also offers a back-up wicket-keeping option to skipper Rahim. The likes of Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Nurul Hasan and Rubel Hossain have been left out as Shafiul Islam’s inclusion gives them as many as four choices in the seam department.

Bangladesh Squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (c) (wk), Tamim Iqbal, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Subashis Roy, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wk), Mominul Haque and Shafiul Islam

What’s next?

Bangladesh will kick start their brief tour with a two-day practice match against India A at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad. The one-off Test is slated to begin on the 9^th at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Sportskeeda’s Take

Yesterday, India unveiled their 16-member squad containing all of their first-choice players with the exception of pacer Mohammed Shami, who is undergoing rehabilitation for his leg-injury. Considering the fact that Virat Kohli’s troops are on an 18-match unbeaten streak and ranked number one in the format, Bangladesh could be truly up against it. However, as their historic victory against England at Dhaka showed, the Tigers will not be mere pushovers.