Team India will play their one off test match against Bangladesh from June 10 at Fatullah Osmani Stadium. BCCI selectors stunned everyone by making a place for Harbhajan Singh who played his last Test match in 2013 against Australia. All eyes will be on this off spinner who has won many a matches for India.
However, there are others who will keenly watched during the Test match. Here is a list of five:
MURALI VIJAY
Murali Vijay has come a long way after his Test debut against Australia in the fourth and final test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur in 2008. A solid Test batsman, he has the technique to play comfortably on back as well as front foot. In his five test 100 tons he has made back to back four hundreds against Australia. Vijay is a very handy opener who can stand on crease for a long time and can deliver big tons. Even if the wickets fall from other end, he doesn’t lose control and can built vital partnerships with others. Even in his first class cricket, he was famous for converting small scores into huge numbers which he has done at international level as well. He will be a key to India’s success in this tour.
AJINKYA RAHANE
Rahane is a strong contender for Team India’s top batting order. Rahane has played 14 international Test matches with the solid batting average of 44.87. He has made three test hundreds and 6 fifties with the highest score of 147 which came against Australia last year.
Rahane is a clean stroke maker who can play aggressive cricket and has the ability to rotate the strike. He can pick up singles and doubles which is important to ease pressure and to build partnerships.. Besides a good batsman, he is a terrific fielder, which is the key in any kind of cricket match these days.
Virat Kohli
A lot is at stake for Virat Kohli as this will be the first match of Virat Kohli as a full-fledged captain after MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket. After having established himself as one of the finest batsmen in all form of cricket, it’s time for Virat to showcase his leadership skills. Known for his temperament and brashness, Virat will have to tread cautiously as the Indian captaincy comes with a baggage and even the great Sachin Tendulkar was uncomfortable handling it. The series will show how Virat adapts to his new responsibility.
Shikhar Dhawan
If he gets going at the top, half of India’s worries would be over. Once set, not only does he score big, he scores at such a pace that puts his team in the driver’s seat. Fearless in his approach, Dhawan has the self belief and the temperament to take up the best of attacks (his centuries against Australia and South Africa is testimony to this). He plays well against both spin and pace. So if he gets going, Bangladesh would be on leather hunt.
Harbhajan Singh
The Turbanator is back again after a long hiatus. Given a chance ahead of youngsters, it will be a testing time for the Punjab bowler who needs to take wickets by bucketful to claim a spot in Team India for series ahead. Being the most experienced player (101 Test caps) from both the sides, it will be interesting to see how the off spinner uses the Fatullah pitch to his advantage.
By Rajveer Singh
Indian Sports News Network
