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29 March 2024

India win toss, bat in Bangladesh Test

Published
By AFP

Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat against Bangladesh Thursday as the hosts look to extend their record-breaking unbeaten run in an historic Test in Hyderabad.

Kohli confirmed that Karun Nair, who scored a triple century in India's last Test against England in December, had been dropped to make for the fit-again Ajinkya Rahane in the one-off contest.

"It looks like a pretty nice surface to bat on, a good even coverage of grass and pretty hard underneath so it should be a very good surface to bat on," Kohli said at the toss.

India, number one in the Test rankings, are firm favourites to beat the tourists who are ranked number nine but Kohli said his team's approach would be the same for any other match.

"For us the opposition is not something we focus on. We focus on our skills and focus on executing our plans and be persistent with our skills," said Kohli who has led India on a record-breaking 18-match run.

India have opted for three fast bowlers and two spinners, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked alongside fellow pacemen Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.

Bangladesh, who are playing their first five-day match in India since gaining Test status in 2000, have opted for three spinners and two seamers.

Teenage off-spinner Mehedi Hasan leads the spin attack along with the experienced Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam.

Skipper Mushfiqur Rahman said that Bangladesh were determined to put on a good show throughout the five days and overcome their reputation for wilting at key moments in matches.  

"It's a great moment for Bangladesh cricket," said the wicket-keeping batsman.

"You can't play good cricket over three days and later on you just give it up. Hopefully the boys are really fired up and all the guys are very keen to show some skills against a top team."

Teams

India: Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Kamrul Islam Rabbi

Umpires: Marais Erasmus (RSA) and Joel Wilson (WIS)

TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney (NZL)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)