Chennai Test: Rahul or Sarfaraz? Axar or Kuldeep?

A relaxed and rejuvenated Team India kicks off its new season with an exciting Test series against a much improved Bangladesh in the first Test in Chennai, starting on Thursday, September 19, 2024.

India have been the most consistent team in the Test arena for the past few years, but can ill afford to take Bangladesh, who created history with a famous 2-0 whitewash of Pakistan in their own backyard last month.

With some of the senior Indian players not having played much cricket coming into the series, new Head Coach Gautam Gambhir has got his wards into the match mode with a training camp in Chennai ahead of the two Test series.

A lot of meticulous planning has gone towards the preparations with India bringing tall net bowlers to counter the threat of Bangladesh's lanky pacers and spinners.

The young batters including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan along with K L Rahul got much needed batting practice in match conditions in the Duleep Trophy.

Even though seniors Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin were allowed to skip the Duleep Trophy, they have enough experience to help them cope with the lack of match practice coming into the series.

The Indian batting is nicely settled with Jaiswal and Rohit forming a dangerous opening partnership, while Gill also looks quite comfortable after shifting himself to No 3 with Kohli to follow.

Kohli, who plays his first Test in nine months after he skipped the England Tests for the birth of his second child, will be keen to get back among the runs which will put him in good frame of mind for the coming New Zealand series and the all-important tour of Australia later this year.

It will be an interesting decision for Gambhir and Rohit to pick one among Sarfaraz Khan and K L Rahul for the No 5 slot, who both offer something different to the team with their contrasting batting styles.

While Mumbai's Sarfaraz excelled in the England series with his aggressive approach, Rahul is quite solid with his safety first approach and lends a lot of solidity to the middle order.

Rahul played a fine knock of 86 in the first Test against England in Hyderabad in January, but missed the rest of the series with a quadriceps injury and his replacement Sarfaraz made most of the opportunity with 200 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 79, including fifties in both innings in his debut Test.

With Rishabh Pant back in the Test team after nearly two years to provide the spark at No 6, India has a lot of firepower in their batting. He dispelled all doubts with some fine diving catches with the gloves in the Duleep Trophy and also smashed a quickfire fifty to seal his place in the team ahead of Dhruv Jurel, who played some fine knocks under pressure in the England series and was reliable with the gloves.

The spin all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin -- both of whom have multiple centuries in Test cricket -- make India's batting line-up quite lengthy and fearsome.

The bowling line-up also looks quite lethal with Jasprit Bumrah back after a deserved long break. Mohammed Siraj is a capable operator with both the new ball and old ball and is capable of bowling long spells if needed.

With Akash Deep and left-armer Yash Dayal in the squad, India have the option of going with a quality third seamer if they feel reverse could become a factor later on. However, they are likely to tilt more in favour of a third spinner on a Chennai pitch known to get slower and assist the spinners, which could leave the team management with a tough choice between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep, a genuine wicket-taker in Indian conditions, seems the preferred choice in recent months as the third spinner alongside Ashwin and Jadeja. He made most of the rare chance of getting to play four Tests in a series for the first time in his career in the England series, with a rich haul of 19 wickets at an average of 20.

Axar did well in the Australia series last year with 22 wickets from four Tests, but in the England series he got just two Tests in which he claimed five wickets but did make useful contributions with the bat. Axar's inclusion lengthens the batting all the way to No 9 while he also showed he is capable of batting in the middle order when he played a good knock at No 6 against England in the Vizag Test in Jadeja's absence.

Overall, India have two major decisions to ponder upon -- Sarfaraz or Rahul in the batting and Kuldeep or Axar in the bowling.

India will also be spend long hours plotting on how to tackle an inspired Bangladesh, who are riding high on confidence after their remarkable series triumph in Pakistan.

India will also do well to remember that Bangladesh nearly upset them in the second Test in Mirpur in December 2022.

Chasing 145 for victory, Bangladesh left the visitors reeling on 7/74 before Ashwin (42) and Shreyas Iyer (29) guided them home with an unbroken stand of 71 runs for the eighth wicket as they clinched the series 2-0.

Bangladesh showcased their fighting spirit in Pakistan, bouncing back from near impossible situations in both Tests.

The pace duo of Nihad Rana and Hasan Mahmud were fantastic in Pakistan, claiming 14 wickets between in the two Test series. The young Rana will be one to watch out for with his ability to bowl consistently in the range of 150kmph, poses a big threat to India's batting line-up.

All-rounders Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan are capable with both bat and ball, lending a lot of balance to the line-up.

The Bangladesh batters have grown in confidence as well after Pakistan.

Litton Das stroked a stunning match-winning century in the second Test, with one of the most sensational knocks to resuce Bangladesh after they had slipped to 26/6 in their second innings, while the seasoned Mushfiqur Rahim, who loves playing against India, also scored a century in Pakistan.

The Chennai pitch has been historically spin-friendly. The last Test played at this venue between India and England in 2021 was dominated by spinners with 32 wickets falling to spin.

While the Indian spin trio of Ashwin, Kuldeep and Axar shared 17 wickets between them, the England slow bowlers claimed 15 wickets in total.

Out of 34 Tests played at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, India have won 15 with seven losses and 11 games have ended in draws, while the Test match against Australia in 1986 ended in a famous tie.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, K L Rahul/Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

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