The announcement of India’s Test squad for the upcoming home series against Bangladesh will be made after the first round of the 2024 Duleep Trophy. It is believed that the domestic tournament may have an impact on India’s team selection.
The first round of Duleep Trophy matches will be played from September 5 to 8 in Bengaluru and Anantapur. Meanwhile, India’s home season will begin with the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which will begin on September 19.
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India’s Test squad for Bangladesh series to be announced after Duleep Trophy
However, the selectors are yet to announce India’s squad for the series. According to ESPNCricinfo, the selectors will pick India’s squad for the series against Bangladesh after September 8, when the first round of Duleep Trophy matches ends. As a result, the tournament may also have a major impact on player selection.
A number of top international players from India will be taking part in the first round of the Duleep Trophy. Some of them are Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Sarfaraz Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh and KS Bharat.
Of these players, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav have strong chances of being part of the starting XI for the first Test against Bangladesh.
High competition for limited places
The competition will be tough as most of India’s starting players are likely to be back in contention. In India’s last Test series against England earlier this year, several players like KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja were unavailable due to various reasons.
Youngsters like Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Akash Deep made their debut in that series and impressed with their performances, giving India the win. However, with the return of senior players, it will be interesting to see whether these players find a place in the team or not.
Other players like Abhimanyu Easwaran, B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Yash Dayal, Saurabh Kumar and R Sai Kishore will also be in action in the first round. These players have been in the Indian team for a long time and will be looking to stake their claim to the title.
Next season at India’s home
India’s home season will begin with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The two Test matches of the series will be played in Chennai and Kanpur. The Men in Blue will play three T20Is against Bangladesh after the Test series, which will be played in Gwalior, Delhi and Hyderabad.
Team India will then play a three-match Test series against New Zealand, which could also see the long-awaited return of Mohammed Shami to international cricket. India will then travel to South Africa for a four-match T20I series.
But all eyes will be on the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which begins in late November. Australia and India will play five Test matches in the series and the Men in Blue will be looking to repeat their success in their previous two Test tours to Australia.