The last time India hosted a sub-continent side in a Test series, no member from the current team other than M Vijay featured in the playing XI. Vijay’s opening partner Virender Sehwag almost got his third triple century in the match before falling short by just seven runs against Sri Lanka at the Cricket Club of India. It will after seven years that India will play a Test at home against a sub-continent side when they host Bangladesh at at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here in Hyderabad. For Bangladesh, this will be their maiden Test on Indian soil.
India, the No. 1 Test side have been unforgiving in the ongoing season. New Zealand were blanked 3-0 and after the first drawn encounter in Rajkot, England lost the remaining three matches. The most pleasing aspect of Team India has been their bench strength. Off-spinner Jayant Yadav registered a century in only his third Test and Karun Nair converted his first Test century into a giant triple hundred.
As India prepare to take on Bangladesh, captain Virat Kohli said the team will be sticking to the same mechanism that has brought them success without getting carried away. “We don't feel (we are) invincible, but we feel we can perform against any team in the world and win against any team in the world. But that does not make us feel that we are not beatable. You have to understand your strengths and weaknesses and I think this team does that very well.
Virat brushed aside any talk of the match being a contest between Bangladesh’s bowling and India’s batting might. “It's an equal battle. You can't discount Bangladesh batting as well. They did outstanding in New Zealand. We can't take any aspect of their team lightly. They have quality cricketers. The only way you can win Test matches is by persistence and application and discipline. I think we are going to focus on those things and not as skill battles. We want complete team application.”
With the Indian reserves stepping up, Virat termed the situation as a happy headache in the past. Now, with the return of Ajinkya Rahane after an injury, the team management will be forced to take a harsh call. “See, I feel one game doesn't overshadow two years of hard work from another player. You have to understand that Jinks [Rahane] has done well for the team over the last two years. He averages almost 50 in the last two years and he is probably the most solid batsman in the team in the Test format. We will look at him from that point of view certainly.
“Karun was stepping into his shoes [and] what he did was remarkable. Sealing a spot as far as the squad is concerned - that's what Karun did. But you can't overlook two years of hard work from Ajinkya with just one Test match. He deserves to walk back into the team whenever he is fit.”
While it will be a challenge to contain Indian batsmen, Bangladesh, who have never beaten India in Tests, will need to find ways to counter India’s spin duo off R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who hold the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the ICC Test rankings respectively. The ace off-spinner has 18 wickets at the ground from two matches and the relentless Jadeja is high on confidence having scalped seven England wickets in the second innings during India’s last Test.
