BAN vs IND, 1st Test: KL Rahul elects to bat
Hosts Bangladesh are up against India in the opener of the two-match Test series. Having lost the ODI leg of the tour 1-2, the Indian team would be raring to settle the scores. With Rohit Sharma being unavailable for the first Test, KL Rahul is leading the Indian team. He has won the toss and elected to bat first.
Here are the two teams
India (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (captain), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj. Bangladesh (Playing XI): Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Mushfiqur Rahim (wicket-keeper), Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain.
Debut for Zakir Hasan
Zakir Hasan has been handed his debut Test cap, and the batter will open in Tamim Iqbal's absence. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill will open for India in Rohit Sharma's absence. The former would be raring to make a significant mark.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram will host this affair. Teams batting first have won eight of 22 Tests played here. The track is known to be fruitful for both batters and bowlers, with the average first-innings score being 371. The match will be telecast live on Sony Sports Network (9:00 AM IST) and live-streamed on the SonyLIV app.
Here is the head-to-head record
The two teams have locked horns in 11 Tests, with India winning nine of them. Two of them ended in a draw (both in Bangladesh). Notably, India have won their last three Tests against Bangladesh. India thrashed Bangladesh in the 2019 Day/Night Test at the Eden Gardens. India won both Tests in that series by an innings.
Here are the key performers
Virat Kohli averages 78.40 against Bangladesh in Test cricket. Shakib Al Hasan boasts 151 wickets and 2,725 runs in home Tests. Ravichandran Ashwin is the only bowler to dismiss left-handers over 200 times in Tests (221). Mushfiqur Rahim averages 51.8 against India in six Tests. With 720 runs in 10 games, Rishabh Pant is India's highest run-getter in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.
