India vs Bangladesh 2024: 3 Indian players to watch out for in upcoming Test series

India to kick off their home season with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, the first one out of which, will be hosted in MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The hosts have already assembled in Chennai for training sessions, where new bowling coach Morne Morkel is also a part of. Before playing a five-match Test series against Australia later in the year, the upcoming series against Bangladesh and New Zealand holds the key to the Rohit Sharma-led side as the goal is to identify the gaps that are currently present.

India’s middle order is still inexperienced. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara are no more in contention and the focus will be on the likes of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul. Meanwhile, Bangladesh will be coming to the series with plenty of confidence, especially after their series win over Pakistan. They showed tremendous character and can put India in trouble as well. 

India have never lost to Bangladesh in Test cricket and will be backing themselves to get the job done again. To do so, the seniors will be key for sure but there will be extra focus on these three cricketers and their progress will be closely monitored.

Here are the 3 players to watch out for in Test against Bangladesh:

3. KL Rahul

KL Rahul was in very good form in red-ball cricket before suffering a quadricep tendon injury during the England series earlier in the year. In his absence, Sarfaraz Khan was called up for the series and made a significant mark. He made 200 runs in three matches at an average of 50 and his flamboyance and aggressive batting also impressed captain Rohit Sharma.

However, the team management will play Rahul ahead of Sarfaraz in the first Test. His experience will be handy and more importantly, the Karnataka batter also scored a half-century in the opening game of the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024. However, with a player like Sarfaraz sitting on the bench, Rahul won’t be given multiple opportunities to succeed.

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The series against Bangladesh holds the key for Rahul in that case. He has the backing at the moment but if the cricketer flops, the team management may turn to Sarfaraz during the Australia series, as they also prefer players who can take on the opposition and play aggressively.