Spinners set to dominate Bangladesh as India hunt for 2-0 Test series win (Preview)
Dec 21, 2022
Dhaka [Bangladesh], December 21 : India will seek for another all-around effort in Dhaka to secure a 2-0 series victory against Bangladesh and boost their prospects of reaching the World Test Championship final. Men in Blue crushed the home side Bangladesh in Chattogram with an outstanding all-round performance to secure a substantial 188-run win.
Cheteshwar Pujara scored two runs, while Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and R Ashwin all contributed with the bat. Kuldeep Yadav bowled well all-round, with Mohammed Siraj crucial in the first innings and Axar Patel taking big wickets in the second.
After a difficult first day, the Chattogram pitch softened and became a good batting surface, putting the bowlers' stamina and determination to the test. On the other hand, the Shere Bangla National Stadium is known for its flaming turners and may require a different set of talents, especially from hitters.
The bowling of India will come in useful here. Siraj could see some lateral movement, but the majority of the duty will likely fall on Ashwin, Kuldeep, and Axar. Whereas they had to be prepared to bowl long stints in Chattogram, they can expect a little more help here.
Bangladesh faces a difficult task. Many believe that their biggest difficulty will be motivating themselves to be more consistent, but there were definitely times in Chattogram when they fell short of India in the technical and tactical aspects as well.
Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim, for example, must lead them out of this rut. Zakir Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto must build on their success in Chattogram, with India sure to have new ideas for the former, who scored a century on debut.
Earlier in the pre-match press conference, Bangladesh's fast-bowling coach, Allan Donald, announced that skipper Shakib Al Hasan, who was poised to play as a specialist batter owing to shoulder and rib cage problems, will bowl in Dhaka against India. It ensures that they will be able to maintain the same team composition as in Chattogram.
