India vs Bangladesh 2019: Predicting India's bowling lineup for the first Test

On the back of a 2-0 T20I series win against Bangladesh, the Indian cricket team will next host their neighbours for a two-match Test series, beginning with the opening Test on 14th November at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.

Skipper Virat Kohli will return to lead the Indian side for this series, while Shahbaz Nadeem is the lone player who has been omitted from the team that squared off against South Africa last month.

India have made a bright start to their quest of winning the ICC World Test Championship with a 2-0 away series win against West Indies followed by a 3-0 whitewash against South Africa at home, and they will be keen to hold on to their top position on the points table with a series win against their neighbours.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, will be featuring in what is their first series as part of the WTC, which makes it all the more important for them to start on a positive note under new skipper Mominul Haque.

India's dominance in the last few months has been a result of an all-round show from both departments, however, the real positive for India from the last two months has been the form of the pacers. Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and most recently Umesh Yadav have troubled opposition batsmen with the right mix of pace and accuracy and will be key against Bangladesh as well.

As India begin yet another important home series against Bangladesh, here is a look at how India's bowling unit could line-up for the opening Test match.

Also see - India vs Bangladesh schedule 2019

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Spinners - Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja

Ravichandran Ashwin

India's domination in Test matches has been a result of Ashwin and Jadeja's partnership with the ball in hand, with the spin twins making the most of the turn on offer on Indian pitches to make batting a tough proposition for all the opposition batsmen.

R Ashwin, in particular, has been extremely impressive in recent times, including 15 wickets from three matches against South Africa. Jadeja, who has 26 wickets from his last seven games will yet again hold the 'X-factor' for the hosts, with a whole lot of right-handers in Bangladesh's batting unit.

Last time Bangladesh visited India in 2017, Jadeja and Ashwin both picked up 6-wicket hauls from the match, and they will be looking to improve on their feat in this opening Test match.

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Pacers - Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

The Indian pacers' rise under the leadership of Virat Kohli has been talked about quite a lot, and for no small reason, as the three pacers have run through batting units of Australia, West Indies and South Africa in the past year.

Despite controversy surrounding Mohammed Shami's personal life, the seamer has put his career above all and has picked up 38 wickets from 9 matches, at a commendable average of 20.28. Ishant Sharma has made a mark with the new ball in hand and could prove to be a game-changer with the red cherry.

However, the biggest positive for India is Umesh Yadav's contributions, in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. The burly pacer was a force to reckon with against South Africa as he made short work of the top order and the tail, playing a key role in India's series victory.

With the trio in top form, the pacers could have a massive say in the outcome of the first Test.