IND vs BAN | India’s predicted XI for “pink-ball” Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata
India are all set to play their first-ever Test match under lights with the pink ball, against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The Men in Blue will look to extend their 1-0 lead in the two-match series, and their mammoth 240-point lead at the top of the ICC World Test Championship.
Openers
Rohit Sharma: He may have scored 529 runs in four innings against South Africa, but the tendencies of Rohit Sharma, the one-day batsman, was still very evident during his brief innings in Indore. Perhaps he has been asked to play an attacking role by the management, but with fellow Mumbaikar Prithvi Shaw returning to the scene and Shubman Gill waiting in the wings, Rohit needs more significant scores to lock down his position in the Test side.
Mayank Agarwal: One of the reasons why there is pressure, if any, on Rohit is due to the fact that his partner Agarwal cannot seem to stop scoring runs at the moment. Fast approaching a 1000 Test runs — with a fair bit of those away from home — Agarwal looks like India’s long-term solution to a Test opener.
Middle-order
Cheteshwar Pujara: Pujara is not out of form per se — he has three fifties in his last nine innings, two in his last three. But it has been nearly a year since the spectator has been treated to a methodical Test masterclass by India’s No.3. Being one of the few Indian batsmen to have received special training against the pink ball, Pujara will look to capitalize and add his own flavour to historical match at the Eden Gardens.
Virat Kohli: Two ducks in nine innings is not that bad a showing — especially when you consider the daddy double-hundred and a couple of fifties in the same period. But this is Virat Kohli. And Virat Kohli has different standards as compared to mere mortals. For a man who revels under the pump, what better way to emerge the hero once again as he leads India into unfamiliar territory.
Ajinkya Rahane: Contrary to his two senior middle-order batting partners, India’s vice-captain has been as consistent as ever in the last few Test outings. But Rahane is also among the few who have faced the music of the pink ball more than most other batsmen on either side. With that in mind, Rahane will be keen to carry forward his form and perhaps compile another century in the process.
Wriddhiman Saha: In an uncharacteristically poor display by India’s slip cordon in the first Test, Saha remained consistent with his glovework. Any lingering doubts about his credentials as India’s best wicket-keeper — and by some distance — does not exist anymore. But Saha is yet to prove his worth with the bat in hand and the 34-year-old will want to seize on it if an opportunity of the sort arises in his home state.
All-rounders
Ravindra Jadeja: The word that defines Jadeja’s contributions in whites, in the recent past at least, is consistency — and not just with the ball in hand. Jadeja has registered a double-digit score — including four fifties — on all occasions except one since the beginning of the West Indies tour. As India head to New Zealand in two months time, the management will want to finalize their sole pick for the all-rounder slot — and making that slot his own should be Jadeja’s aim.
Ravichandran Ashwin: Even as the Indian pace battery continues to mesmerize the cricketing world, the opposition, and sometimes, even themselves, India’s senior-most spinner continues to while away with a bunch of wickets with his ever-evolving artistry. But with the New Zealand tour ahead of him, Ashwin is in an unspoken three-way battle for the all-rounder slot with young Hanuma Vihari and his old friend Jadeja. Come the 26th, Ashwin will hope he can make his case stronger.
Bowlers
Ishant Sharma: Quite a long way into the story of Ishant Sharma 2.0, India’s most experienced fast bowler continues to lead the pack admirably. Although the workload seems to be taking a toll on him, as he himself admitted, there is still plenty left in Ishant’s tank. Whether he can get the pink new ball to play the same tunes as he gets the red ball to do is a sight worth looking forward to.
Umesh Yadav: With the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah to go with the consistency of Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, it seemed like Umesh’s story at Test-level had come to a close, once and for all. But with 15 wickets in three Tests since his comeback, the 32-year-old’s case to be a mainstay in the squad grows stronger — not to mention his dashing contributions with the bat. If he can perform with the pink ball as well, Bumrah and Bhuvi will have their work cut out if they want to replace him in the first XI.
Mohammad Shami: Whatever the format, whatever the conditions, whatever the opposition, Shami will deliver a handful of wickets and a truckload of vicious deliveries past either edge of the bat. And given that the legendary Dale Steyn called him the best in the world on current form, all of the 29-year-old’s efforts come tomorrow will be to add weight to that tag.
