After losing the ODI series to Bangladesh a by 2-1 scoreline, Team India showed their strength and might in the longest format by winning the first Test, in Chattogram, by 188 runs, despite not having four senior first-choice players in Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ravindra Jadeja.
The action now moves to the second Test, commencing December 22, at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka.
The BCCI has confirmed that India will once again be without the services of skipper Rohit Sharma owing to his thumb injury that had forced him to miss the first Test. While Bangladesh will hope to avoid a home whitewash, India will be aiming for crucial World Test Championship points.
With Sharma not available there is no reason to change the batting order, and with the Dhaka surface assisting spinners, India are likely to stick with 3 spinners and 2 pacers combination.
Three Indian players will be eyeing certain individual records in the 2nd Test vs Bangladesh:
Cheteshwar Pujara only 16 runs away from 7000 Test runs
In Dhaka, senior India batter Cheteshwar Pujara could well enter the 7000 Test runs club, becoming only the 8th Indian to do so. Pujara, who scored 90 and 102* in Chattogram, breaking his long Test century drought, so far has amassed 6984 runs in 97 Tests at an average of 44 with 19 centuries and 34 fifties.
If he crosses the 7000th mark in Dhaka, he will be the sixth-fastest Indian to achieve this feat in what will be his 98th Test.
Axar Patel can become the fastest Indian bowler to 50 Test wickets
Axar Patel has had a dream start to his Test career: the left-arm spinner has taken 44 wickets in just 7 Tests at a marvelous average of only 13; he has snared 4 four-wicket hauls and 5 five-wicket hauls.
In Dhaka, he could become the fastest Indian bowler to 50 Test wickets; R Ashwin currently holds the record: he took his 50th Test wicket in his 9th Test match. With 6 wickets in Dhaka, Axar can break Ashwin’s record.
Mohammed Siraj, Axar eye personal wickets records for 2022
In 2020 and 2021, Mohammed Siraj became India’s key bowler in Tests and ascended above the likes of Umesh and Ishant in the longest format. In 2022, Siraj had a breakthrough international year in white-ball cricket too.
Among Indians, Siraj is the joint-second leading wicket-taker in 2022 with 39 wickets along with Bumrah (39) and only behind Chahal (44).
If Siraj picks one more wicket, he will go past Bumrah in an international wickets tally in 2022, and 6 scalps will see him eclipse Chahal. Though it must be noted that Bumrah has bowled in 5 fewer innings than Siraj this year for India.
Axar Patel also has 39 wickets for India this year, so he stands a chance to go past Chahal in Dhaka.
