Asian rivalry: India vs Bangladesh in test cricket

Head coach Gautam Gambhir must be delighted with the Indian team’s show in the test series against Bangladesh. They played two matches against the visitors and in both the games one could see a different version of men in blue. The team looked even more compact as everyone was effectively contributing to the winning cause. We saw a few great partnerships, with both bat and ball. And then, we also saw a few of the players stepping in at the time of crises. Hence, overall it was a perfect show for Indian spectators as they witnessed India

Test match 1: 19th September- 23 September, 2024

First clash started on 19th September at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai and India opted to bat first. The show started with the heroics of Yashasvi Jaiswal who scored a composed 56 off 118 balls. However, wickets were falling from the other end as India’s remaining top order collapsed cheaply. Then came in the spin duo of India, Ravindra Jageda and Ravichandran Ashwin, who put up a strong partnership, but this time, with the bat. Jadeja scored 86(124) and Ashwin was the man of the hour as he ended up registering a ton by his name. With all these individual brilliancy, India reached a mammoth score of 376. 

Later, with the ball as well, the Indian team did really well as they dismissed the entire Bangladesh by 149 runs with Jasprit Bumrah taking four wickets. Bangladesh had lost half the battle and the remaining formalities were done by Ashwin’s fifer and by centurions Rishabh pant and Shubhman Gill. 

The find of the series is Akash Deep as he has proved his caliber by providing breakthroughs every now and then. It is safe to say that this young speedster could plausibly travel to the Australia tour as well, and why not, he has earned that spot with grace and determination. 

Test match 2: 27 September- 1 October, 2024 

The Indian team were looking to carry the momentum generated in the first match. The match started well but a couple of days were washed out by rain. With the delay, it seemed as if India had lost their points and it looked like the match would end in a draw, but, Rohit Sharma had different plans. They played test cricket like a T20 game and meanwhile broke a lot of records. Indians played the real ‘Bazball’, and this time even better than the britishers. Whoever was coming to bat, was batting at an insane strike rate. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal(72 off 51) and Rohit (23 off 11) set the tempo and even broke a few world records too. Shot of the day was by Rohit Sharma who smashed a six on the very first ball he faced. Later, it was KL Rahul who made a comeback and broke the streak for his poor performances. His cameo with Virat Kohli (47 off 35) made things harder for the Bangladesh players. 

In the second innings, India took quick wickets and later they had to chase some 100 odd runs. Final courtesies were done by Yashasvi, yet again, as he scored another half century and in no time.

Overall, it was really amusing to see India team’s positive and dominating approach. One can say that, in the reign of Gambhir and Rohit, players are pushing their limits and making the country proud at every corner of the world.

India’s standing in world test championship after Bangladesh 

After the wrap of test series against Bangladesh, India are at the 1st place and Bangladesh at 7th as per standings of World Test Championship. 

In total, India have 98 points in 11 matches and they have a bright chance to qualify for the Finals, which will be played in 2025 at Lord’s Cricket Ground, UK. 

India vs New Zealand home test series

After the home assignment against Bangladesh, Indian team will now face Black Caps as the latter are touring to India from 16th October till 5th November for a three match Test series. These will be crucial points for the teams as the will be looking to improve their standing in WTC standing. 

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