The Indian cricket team kicked off their preparations for the first Test match against Bangladesh with a first training session in Chennai on Friday, September 13. Rohit Sharma-led India will return to action after a gap of 42 days as they host Bangladesh in two Tests and three T20I matches starting on September 19.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 16-member squad for the first Test on Sunday. The star cricketers Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant were among the star cricketers returning to red-ball cricket after missing the last Test series against England at home.
Virat Kohli reportedly arrived in Chennai on Friday morning and participated in India's first training session at MA Chidambaram Stadium. He batted in nets and featured in team activities under Gautam Gambhir-led coaching staff. Captain Rohit Sharma also joined Kohli in the nets and star batters were spotted facing variations on both red-soil and black-soil pitches.
Jasprit Bumrah also joined the camp after being given an extended rest by the management. The premier fast bowler last played for India in their memorable ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa in June and was rested for India's last white-ball series against Sri Lanka in August.
The returning wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was also spotted training hard at MA Chidambaram Stadium as he prepares for his first Test match since December 2022. Pant displayed his hunger for red-ball cricket by smashing a quick 34-ball fifty in the Duleep Trophy first-round fixture and is likely to don the wicketkeeping gloves against Bangladesh ahead of Dhruv Jurel and KL Rahul.
India Squad for the first Test against Bangladesh
Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.
