India begin preparations for Bangladesh Test series under new coach Gautam Gambhir
Captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli arrived in Chennai on Thursday night, ready to lead the team into their first home Test assignment of the season. They were joined by key players such as Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja, among others. Kohli flew directly from London, while Rohit was seen arriving in a PTI video, escorted by security personnel at the airport.
Posted - 2024-09-13T15:58:48+06:00
Updated - 2024-09-13T15:58:48+06:00
The Indian men's cricket team has started preparations for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, set to begin on September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This series marks India's first home Test under new head coach Gautam Gambhir, along with the support of former South African fast bowler Morne Morkel, who joins as the new bowling coach.
Captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli arrived in Chennai on Thursday night, ready to lead the team into their first home Test assignment of the season. They were joined by key players such as Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja, among others. Kohli flew directly from London, while Rohit was seen arriving in a PTI video, escorted by security personnel at the airport.
India’s first day of practice saw the likes of Bumrah bowling at full intensity, while Kohli spent 45 minutes batting in the nets. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared glimpses of the closed-door training session, where the squad, including coaching staff, attentively listened to Gambhir’s instructions. The BCCI posted on social media, "The countdown starts as Team India begin their preps for an exciting home season."
This will be the first time India hosts Bangladesh for a Test series since the historic Pink Ball Test in November 2019. Bangladesh, led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, will arrive in Chennai on September 15, aiming to build on their recent historic 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan. However, facing India on home soil presents a daunting challenge, as noted by experts like Dinesh Karthik, who recently expressed his doubts about Bangladesh’s ability to trouble the hosts.
India currently top the World Test Championship (WTC) standings with 68.52 percentage points, while Bangladesh holds fourth place with 45.83 points. The two-match series is part of India’s grueling 10-match Test schedule, which includes a three-match series against New Zealand and the highly anticipated five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.
Following the first Test in Chennai, the second Test will take place at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur from September 27 to October 1. Both teams will be looking to secure valuable WTC points, with India eager to maintain their top position and Bangladesh aiming to continue their upward trajectory after a strong showing against Pakistan.
As the Indian squad looks to put behind the disappointment of their ODI series loss to Sri Lanka, all eyes will be on how Gambhir’s new regime and the return of key players like Bumrah and Pant influence the team’s performance in the upcoming Test series.