Team India is gearing up for its home season, kicking off with a 2-match Test series against Bangladesh in Chennai this week. With the first match starting on September 19, Rohit Sharma and his squad had their third net session on Monday, following a day off. Since their arrival last week, the team has been focusing on intense practice sessions to ensure a strong start.
According to PTI, Virat Kohli was among the early batters to hit the nets. In the adjacent net, left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal was also seen practising, with both players facing off against Jasprit Bumrah and local star R Ashwin.
The following set of batters included captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Sarfaraz Khan, who joined the team after participating in the Duleep Trophy match in Anantapur. Rohit concentrated on handling spin bowling, a crucial skill considering Bangladesh’s spin-heavy attack.
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Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, and pacer Mohammed Siraj had their turn facing local bowlers, alongside numerous throwdowns. The practice pitch provided a decent amount of bounce, simulating match conditions. India has two more practice sessions lined up before the opening match against a confident Bangladesh team, fresh off their series sweep in Pakistan.
Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Virat Kohli twice in today’s practice session. Virat faces more difficulty while playing against Bumrah.!!!
The king Boom Boom @Jaspritbumrah93 ๐๐ฅ pic.twitter.com/A7nwqsvf5t
โ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ข๐ขโดโต (@rushiii_12) September 16, 2024
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The Chennai pitch, known for favouring spinners, suggests India might field three spinners and two pacers. Ashwin, Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav are the likely spin trio, while Bumrah and Siraj are expected to handle the fast-bowling duties. Despite Axar Patel’s impressive performances across formats, he may have to sit this one out.
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On the batting side, Rishabh Pant is anticipated to make his Test return after nearly two years, pushing Dhruv Jurel, who showed promise in his debut series against England, to the bench. The playing eleven seems mostly decided as India looks to make a strong start to the series.
