Virat Kohli's proactive and aggressive style of leadership will be tested when India take on sprightly underdogs Bangladesh in the one-off Test, starting in Fatullah, on Wednesday.
Kohli was anointed with full-time Test captaincy after Mahendra Singh Dhoni quit in the middle of the Australia series. The Bangladesh Test match will, in essence, be the start of life for the team -- which comprises cricketers of an average age of 26 -- without Dhoni.
There will also be a sense of deja vu when Kohli walks out alongside his Bangladeshi counterpart, Mushfiqur Rahim, at the Khan Saheb Osman Ali Stadium.
Sourav Ganguly, one of India's most successful captains, also started as full-time captain against Bangladesh some 15 years back in a one-off Test that was played at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka.
The only difference now is that this will be Kohli's third Test as skipper while that match marked Ganguly's captaincy debut.
For Kohli, as he starts a new chapter in his thus far glittering career, it will also be a test of his tactical acumen as he would need to decide on whether India will go with six batsmen and four bowlers, with a specialist wicketkeeper, or with an additional bowler to ensure that taking 20 wickets is not a problem.
On paper, it's another David versus Goliath battle as India have won six out of the seven Test matches between the two countries.
Bangladesh drew just one in Chittagong in 2007, with the help of rain.
But Bangladesh have been on the rise after a lion-hearted showing in the World Cup, where they disposed off England to make it to the last-eight stage.
After the World Cup they handed Pakistan a shocking 3-0 ODI series defeat and drew a Test match. That has not only raised the profile of the team but also earned it a bit more respect from opposition teams than earlier.
Also the 'firm belief' of their supporters that a controversial 'no-ball' in that fateful World Cup quarter-final match against India robbed them off a fair chance will also add spice to the contest.
Kohli will certainly not take the next door neighbours to be the proverbial 'banana peel' that minnows often turn out to be in such mismatched contests.
The task will be cut out for the Bangladeshi bowlers, led by their fastest pacer, Rubel Hossain, and wily all-rounder Shakib-al-Hasan, as they face the challenge to stop a formidable batting line-up, which is capable of posting a monumental score in helpful conditions.
Kohli, whose last Test series against the mighty Australians earned him a whopping 692 runs, including four centuries, would like to cash in on this opportunity to get another hefty score against his name.
KL Rahul's loss could well be Shikhar Dhawan's gain as the left-hander would be eager to get his place back in the playing eleven after being dropped for Sydney Test due to a string of poor scores before that.
Since the Test series in Australia, Dhawan had an impressive World Cup followed by a decent IPL and he would like to carry on with his rich vein of form.
Rahul, who scored a century in Sydney, is out as he is recovering from dengue. It provides Dhawan an opportunity to reclaim his place in the side.
Murali Vijay, who has emerged as the automatic first- choice opener after a fine last season in Test matches in England and Australia, will like this opportunity to add a few more runs to his ever-growing kitty.
Ajinkya Rahane, India's most consistent Test player over the year, will be looking to raise his Test average by a few points after having done all the hard work getting those runs in adverse conditions across the cricketing globe in South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia.
If India go in with six specialist batsmen, then both Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma might fit into the scheme of things, though one can't rule out an aggressive Kohli breaking out from the Dhoni template of playing four bowlers.
Pujara's four-match county stint with Yorkshire may not have reaped rich dividends in terms of runs but would have certainly helped him sort out his technical glitches as he is back on the familiar featherbeds that he gets to play in domestic matches.
Rohit, though, on a one-on-one comparison would stand a better chance not only because he is a much superior player but also because of the confidence he gained during World Cup and subsequently while leading Mumbai Indians from a near hopeless situation to triumph in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League.
For Wriddhiman Saha, it will be a golden opportunity to make the Test wicketkeeper spot his own after being Dhoni's understudy for nearly five years. Inarguably, India's best glovesman, he will also like to score a few runs so that there is no competition as to who will don the big gloves in the longer version.
In the bowling department, all eyes will be on comeback man Harbhajan Singh, after being in the wilderness for more than two years.
Along with Ravichandran Ashwin, he could be a handful for the opposition that will have as many as five to six left-handers in their ranks.
Ishant Sharma is a certainty as far as the fast bowling unit is concerned.
While Bhuvneshwar Kumar's all-round ability makes him a handy player, Kohli's penchant for speed makes both Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron more valuable to the team in the bigger context.
For Bangladesh, Rubel Hossain's comeback is a positive news but Sahadat Hossain's knee surgery is certainly not a good for the team.
Worse, skipper Mushfiqur Rahim might just play as a specialist batsman, which effectively means opening the door for rookie keeper-batsman Litton Das.
While the bulk of burden will be on the senior trio of Tamim Iqbal, Rahim and Shakib, it will be an arduous job for the home team to stop India from achieving the inevitable.
