Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 15 (ANI): The Bangladesh cricket team touched down in Chennai on Sunday, led by their dynamic captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Alongside him were key players including the speedster Taskin Ahmed, talented wicketkeeper Litton Das, versatile all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and a cohort of other teammates, supported by their dedicated coaching and support staff.

Bangladesh is gearing up for an intense series against India, comprising two Test matches and three T20 Internationals. The series will kick off with the first Test in Chennai, set to commence on the 19th of September.

In recent cricketing events, Bangladesh has showcased exceptional form. They recently achieved a historic feat by whitewashing Pakistan 2-0 in their first-ever Test series win on Pakistani soil. Their dominance was evident with a resounding 10-wicket victory in the first Test followed by a solid six-wicket triumph in the second.

During the pre-departure press conference held in Dhaka, Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto acknowledged the formidable challenge posed by the Indian team. However, he expressed that the squad is brimming with “extra confidence” stemming from their recent victories over Pakistan.

“It will be a challenging series, but we have the extra confidence from the Pakistan series. I think the whole country shares that confidence now. Every series is an opportunity. We want to win both Tests, but we need to stick to our process. If we do our job, we can get a good result,” Najmul Hossain was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Najmul also discussed their objectives for the tour of India. He emphasized that despite India’s higher ranking, Bangladesh has been performing well recently and aims to capitalize on that momentum.

“They are well ahead of us in the rankings, but we have been playing well recently. Our goal is to perform well over the five days of each Test. We aim to get a result in the final session, where the match can go in any direction. It’s an opportunity to secure our first win in India. We will play with a winning mindset, but we don’t want to think too far ahead. We must focus on playing to our strengths over five days,” he added.

Furthermore, Najmul highlighted the robustness of Bangladesh’s bowling attack, which he believes is capable of excelling under varied conditions.

“Our bowling attack is in a good place, both in terms of spin and pace. While our pacers might lack the same experience as India’s, our spin attack is close to theirs. They can bowl in any conditions. All I can say is that our pacers, spinners, and batters will give 100%,” he further added.

The second Test of the series will be held in Kanpur from September 27.

In the current World Test Championship (WTC) standings, India leads with a points percentage of 68.52. India’s upcoming WTC series feature home matches against Bangladesh (two Tests), New Zealand (three Tests), and an away series against Australia (five Tests).

India’s squad for the series includes: 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’s squad features: Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumer Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Jaker Ali Anik. (ANI)