The one-off Test between India and Bangladesh will be India’s first Test match of 2017. So far 2017, like 2016, has proved to be fruitful for Virat Kohli as a captain. India have to play against Bangladesh, who had a wonderful series against New Zealand and Kohli’s side will be ready for the challenge. In spite of losing against the Kiwis, Bangladesh performed exceptionally well.
As of now, the No. 1 side (India) will face off against the No. 9 side (Bangladesh) on Indian soil. According to me, Test matches are all about twenty wickets if one has to win. Undoubtedly, India has one of the best batting line-ups but bowling will be very important in this case.
It will be interesting to see the sort of wicket the curator will provide! One thing that should be noted is that Bangladesh have similar conditions as India when it comes to the weather and the pitch. In addition, they also play spin well and have good spinners as well. Now the question remains as to what sort of wicket we will see in the only Test match against the Tigers?
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Even the Indian management is in a dilemma regarding the same.
As a bowler, I always feel, if you have to win a Test match, the bowler has to perform at a high level. As far as Indians are concerned, in the last eight Test matches played in India, bowlers have really performed well, however, the bowlers included in this team have not played international cricket in a while.
Talking about the fast bowlers, namely, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav, none of them played in the ODIs and T20s against England. Fast bowling is all about rhythm and confidence. A bowler’s confidence is directly proportional to the number of wickets under his belt, however, none of them had a good Test series as the wickets were not suitable for fast bowlers.
Going by the history of the Hyderabad wicket, it doesn’t often help the faster bowlers, that is to say, the team has a lot of expectations from the spinners, especially Ashwin, Jadeja and Jayant Yadav. Indian spinners performed brilliantly in the previous series especially Ashwin and Jadeja.
Going as far back as the last three series, Ashwin and Jadeja have shared 149 wickets between them. Ashwin, with his variations, and Jadeja, with his consistency and accurate line and length, have healthy competition between themselves and this is beneficial for the Indian side.
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A lot depends on the duo’s performance as they have returned from a well-deserved rest.
Talking about Bangladesh’s bowling attack, meanwhile, they too have great spinners who can trouble any batsman if the wicket proves to be helpful. According to me, the Indian bowling looks far better in comparison to Bangladesh though, with their experience and variations.
Ultimately, the side which bowls well will have an upper hand in the game.
Now, it has to be seen how the wicket will play and how long this Test match will last. With my confidence on both Ashwin and Jadeja, I believe that the Test match will not last for more than four days, and will end in favour of India.
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