IND vs BAN, 1st Test: In the age of fast-paced T20 cricket, the Test format has a challenge on its hands, a challenge to make itself interesting and provide a thrilling experience. The pitches that are being used for the Test matches these days are garnering huge eyeballs and viewers and experts all around the globe try and analyze the surfaces that are being used for Test cricket matches. In the recently concluded Pakistan vs England, 1st Test match, the Rawalpindi pitch came under some serious scrutiny. England amassed 506 runs on the first day itself and questions were looming over the surface.
India are currently taking on Bangladesh in the first match of the two-Test match series against Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh. India won the toss and elected to bat first looking at the nature of the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. The wicket as per Test match standards looked pretty weak with the ball staying low on most of the occasions. There certainly was a tinge of green on the surface but the ball traveled pretty slowly and did not do much off the pitch. It is certainly not a great wicket to be honest, at least as far as the standard of Test cricket is concerned. Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam too reserved his comments on the pitch.
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Taijul said:
We can't really predict much about the pitch to be very honest. It is pretty difficult to say. There aren't any big turning deliveries nor is the ball going straight
How will the pitch behave on the second day?
The Chattogram pitch had a tinge of green on the surface. Grass often helps the bowlers with seam and bounce but as far as the grass of the Chattogram pitch is concerned, the grass is of a different quality. The grass covering the Chattogram turf is more about keeping the surface together and avoiding it from crumbling. A few odd balls stayed low on this slow surface and some of them turned. It will certainly be a hard toil for the Indian bowlers and they will have to be mentally ready to tackle this challenge. With the likes of R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav at their disposal, India will fancy their chances and try to restrict the Bangladesh batsmen. As far as the fast bowlers are concerned, they will have to do the hard yards and make extra efforts to take extract the pace of the Chattogram pitch.
Bangladesh XI: Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain
India XI: Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Sira
