The BCCI announced the India squad for Bangladesh Test Series 2024 on Sunday. The selection committee made no major changes to the test team, except Rishabh Pant. Pant has been picked into the Indian test team for the first time after recording from a life-threatening injury in a severe car accident. Apart from Pant, the selectors have given opportunities to performing youngsters, whose example is Yash Dayal, who got his maiden call-up for the Indian team.
The backbone of the Indian bowling attack, Jasprit Bumrah, also returned to international cricket for the first time since helping India win the T20 World Cup in June. Bumrah will partner Mohammed Siraj in the Test series, with Akash Deep and Dayal as the other two pacers in the squad. India has justified its spin-heavy strategy by keeping four spinners in the squad: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav.
The Duleep Trophy, which preceded the India-Bangladesh series, was billed as a must-win for Test selection, and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant went above and beyond in the first round. While Pant had a quiet first inning against India A, the 26-year-old, who represented India B, played an important role by scoring 61 off 47 balls to assist the team in setting a competitive 275-run target.
Pant was flawless behind the wickets with gloves, displaying his wicket keeping talent with reflexes to the fullest; he took a succession of stunning catches behind the stumps and maintained his chirpy demeanor throughout the game, keeping the batters on edge.
Dhruv Jurel will be the second wicketkeeper in India’s test squad for the Bangladesh test series. Jurel had secured his place thanks to his brilliance against England in his debut series earlier this year. Jurel obtained his first Test call-up after senior wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat’s unsatisfactory performances. The 23-year-old instantly made an impression with significant contributions in the middle order, including a good 90-run effort in his second Test in Ranchi.
On the other hand, experienced middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer was not included in the squad, despite scoring a quick half-century for India D in the second innings of the Duleep Trophy match against India C. Iyer’s year 2024 has been a roller coaster; after suffering an injury during India’s Test series against England, he was dropped from the BCCI’s central contracts due to his apparent inability to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. However, Iyer eventually returned to the Mumbai Ranji Team and played a key role in the team’s triumphant campaign.
He also led the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title, which was critical to his return to the Indian team for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka. But Iyer’s red-ball performance has been an area of concern this year. He had a quiet showing in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament last month and scored only 9 runs in the first inning of the Duleep Trophy first-round game. With competition for middle-order positions heating up, Iyer was unable to win a spot in the Test team. Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan, who impressed with his aggressive batting in his maiden series against England earlier this year, kept his spot.
India Squad for Bangladesh Test Series 2024
Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal
Bangladesh Tour of India 2024: India vs Bangladesh Test Series 2024 Schedule
| Match | Date | Venue |
| 1st Test | 19 Sept to 23 Sept 2024 | Chennai |
| 2nd Test | 27 Sept to 1 Oct 2024 | Kanpur |
