On Friday in Kanpur, during the second and final Test match against Bangladesh, India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to field first.
The start of the two-match series has been delayed by one hour due to rain during the previous night and a wet outfield. The hosts, who lead the series 1-0, have started with three seamers and are playing under gloomy sky.
For the match, which may be former captain Shakib Al Hasan’s final appearance in the format, Bangladesh, led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, made two changes to the squad.
Nahid Rana and Taskin Ahmed are replaced by left-arm spinner Taijul Islam and fast bowler Khaled Ahmed.
On Thursday, Shakib expressed his desire for his Test swansong to take place during the South Africa series at his hometown of Mirpur.
After Sheikh Hasina’s dictatorial government was overthrown last month by a student-led revolt, the Proteas are still determining if Bangladesh is secure enough to come.
Along with scores of other members of Hasina’s party who are accused of being complicit in a fatal crackdown on protestors, Shakib, 37, is being charged with murder.
Faruque Ahmed, the head of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, has stated that “the board’s hand does not control players’ security.”
In an attempt to improve on their initial 280-run loss in Chennai, Najmul declared he was “happy to bat first”.
Teams
India’s squad includes: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, and KL Rahul.
Bangladeshi’s squad includes:: Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, and Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt).
Chris Brown (NZL) and Richard Kettleborough (ENG) are the umpires.
TV Umpire: Australian Rod Tucker
Jeff Crowe is the match referee (NZL).