India Predicted Playing XI For Second Test Against Bangladesh

Having taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, the India team will face Bangladesh in the second test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The meeting will begin on Thursday, December 22.

India has been hit by injuries of late. The BCCI confirmed that skipper Rohit Sharma and pacer Navdeep Saini will not be available for the second test, while KL Rahul took a hit to the hand during a net session and he may not recover in time. Visitors are unlikely to make many unforced changes.

Here is India’s predicted playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh.

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Starting pitchers: KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill

India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour stated that Rahul’s injury was not serious, giving weight to the claim that he will be in the draw at Mirpur. If he doesn’t recover, Abhimanyu Easwaran could make his international debut.

Shubman Gill made a big impression in the second inning on Chattogram, and he’ll want to seize the opportunity once again.

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Middle order: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (week)

Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s vice-captain for the series and potentially captain of the second Test, was one of the best in the first contest. He scored a patient 90 in the first innings and followed it up with a century in the second try, breaking his drought.

Virat Kohli spent some time up the middle in the second inning. He will want to take a leaf out of the Pujara book and finally write down another Test hundred.

Shreyas Iyer risked his luck to make a valuable contribution in Chattogram, while Rishabh Pant also played his role. The duo will want to add some intent to the middle order.

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All-rounders: Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel

Surprisingly, Ravichandran Ashwin was not overly involved with the ball in the first Test as he looked a bit off pace and took just one wicket in the two innings. The veteran spinner will want to get in on the action at Mirpur.

Axar Patel, on the other hand, excelled in the second inning with an excellent display of control. The spinning wheel on the left arm will be difficult to handle in the second Test.

Saurabh Kumar might have to wait a bit longer to make his debut.

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Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

India is unlikely to make any changes in the bowling department. Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj played well in the first Test, and the visitors have no reason to switch things up and bring in Shardul Thakur or Jaydev Unadkat as neither pacer had too much workload.

Kuldeep Yadav, who was named Man of the Match in Chattogram, will be India’s biggest weapon against the Bangladeshi batsmen.