Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and the new head coach Gautam Gambhir will have a good headache when it comes to selecting the bowling options for India, for the first test against Bangladesh starting tomorrow (19th September) in Chennai. The match will be played in a red-soil wicket, which leaves both the captain and the coach in a dilemma of whether to play three pacers or three spinners.

A red-soil wicket offers good bounce and carry, which brings in the pacers into the the game. But as the Test goes on, the intense heat in Chennai will undoubtedly guarantee that spin will be the stronger hand. It is thought, nevertheless, that the fast bowlers would be dangerous throughout the game since reverse swing is anticipated to be made easier by the surface and the surrounding circumstances.

India has often gone with five bowlers when it comes to the red-ball game. With Bumrah, Siraj, Ashwin, and Jadeja being certain to start, the question will arise about who will play the role of the fifth bowler in the 11. The contenders for the fifth spot are Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, and Yash Dayal, the only left-arm seamer in the squad.

The chances of India playing a third fast bowler are higher in Chennai than in Kanpur, the venue for the second Test. The Green Park pitch, which is made of black soil, has generally been a turning track. However, given India’s template in home conditions, one would still expect the Indian side to go in with the three spinners, the template that has won them games at home for a long time. The last time India played with three fast bowlers in India was way back in 2019, in a Pink-ball test in Kolkata against the very same opponent Bangladesh.

There has been significant discussion regarding India’s potential usage of the Bangladesh series—and possibly the subsequent series against New Zealand—as a training ground for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Additionally, will the BCCI direct the curators to create pitches that are suited to seamers? But it has come to light that neither the team management nor the board have sent out a statement of this nature.

If India decides to go on with three spinners, it would possess them with a difficult choice to choose between Kuldeep Yadav who has been exceptional for the side in the past year, and Axar Patel, who again has done wonders for the side in the last few years.  

Compared to the previous time India played a test here, the surface at Chepauk is different this time. Three of the square’s nine pitches have been created using red soil that was transported from Mumbai. The Mumbai version, which is utilized in the Wankhede stadium, is renowned for helping fast and spin bowlers achieve true bounce. India began their training on the red- and black-soil pitches that are available at MA Chidambaram stadium, although they only used a red-soil surface on Monday. Bangladesh has been training on a black-soil pitch since their arrival in the city yesterday.

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