KL Rahul at No. 5, Pant to Keep Wickets: India’s likely playing XI for the 1st Test vs Bangladesh

India have named their full-fledged squad for the two Test matches against Bangladesh. However, with some players returning from injuries, there might be some dilemmas for the team management. While most of the playing XI is settled, there are still questions about a couple of spots. Meanwhile, sources have provided a report on the likely Indian playing XI for the 1st Test.

Rohit Sharma, as captain, is an automatic pick, with Yashasvi Jaiswal expected to continue opening with him. Shubman Gill scored a century in the last match, so there’s no question about him retaining the No. 3 position. Virat Kohli is the obvious choice for No. 4. The main debate was around the No. 5 spot between Sarfaraz Khan and KL Rahul. However, the confusion has ended with the latest news.

Sarfaraz Khan is likely to miss the first Test as he will be playing in the Duleep Trophy match scheduled from September 12 to 16 in Anantapur, while the 1st IND vs BAN Test kicks off in Chennai on September 19. This suggests that KL Rahul will play over Sarfaraz Khan in the 1st Test. India has two wicketkeeping options: Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel. Pant, being the more experienced, is likely to be preferred.

The spin-friendly track of Chepauk is expected to see the trio of Ashwin, Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav on the field. Axar Patel is in great form, but Jadeja is likely to play ahead of him, and India would want to field a leg-spinner, so Kuldeep Yadav could get the nod. The pace bowling options would be Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

India’s Probabale Playing XI for 1st Test: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Assuming this is the playing XI, the players on the bench would be Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Axar Patel, Akash Deep, and Yash Dayal. Although Sarfaraz Khan is a popular choice among fans to make it to the XI, the 26-year-old batter’s quick-scoring approach has impressed many. However, it is unlikely for him to play both the Duleep Trophy and the Test match consecutively.