Bangladesh face India with aim of making mark

The occasion is a rare and historic one as it is Bangladesh’s first bilateral tie on Indian soil against the home side. The last time Bangladesh played international cricket in India was during the 2016 World T20 where the Tigers qualified for the first round. The men in red and green almost defeated India before agonisingly falling short by just one run in Bangalore. Bangladesh’s recent signs of progress in longer-version cricket will boost the side but there is also likely to be worries if their recent two-day practice game against India A is anything to go by. The Bangladesh bowlers were left frustrated as India A posted a mammoth total in the first innings, riding on three centuries. The point of relief however, is that the Tigers did not have their three strike bowlers in the practice match – Shakib al Hasan, Taskin Ahmed and Kamrul Islam Rabbi. With that said, the challenge is a humongous one for the Bangladesh bowlers, given the Indians' batting strength and the form that they are in at the moment. The Indians are currently ranked the world's best Test team and have gone 18 matches without defeat. At home, under the leadership of Virat Kohli, they swept aside South Africa, New Zealand and England. And the last time they lost a series at their backyard was five years ago against Alastair Cook's England. Hence, the odds are stacked heavily against Bangladesh. The Tigers are likely to go in with opening batsmen Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar after regular opener Imrul Kayes was ruled out due to injury. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim has recovered fully from a finger injury but with lots of cricket action up ahead for the Tigers, it will not be surprising to see Liton Kumar Das return to the fold and keep stumps. If Liton does play, Miraz will most likely make way. As far as the home side are concerned, Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin will lead their batting and bowling department respectively. Both are in scintillating touch at the moment and it goes without saying that the Tigers will need to on their guard right from the word go.Bangladesh XI (probable)Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Shakib al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (C & WK), Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Liton Das/Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed and Kamrul Islam RabbiIndia XI (probable)Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav  PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FORShakib al Hasan, All-rounder, BangladeshGiven the history of the wickets at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, which often help the spinners, Shakib is expected to be the leading Bangladesh bowler. With slight doubts over the Bangladesh batting line-up, the Tigers bowlers are expected to do the most of the work. Shakib is the most experienced campaigner in the team as far as playing on Indian soil is concerned, thanks to his regular appearances in the IPL. Besides leading Bangladesh, his battle with marquee off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be exciting to watch to say the least.Ravichandran Ashwin, Off-spinner, IndiaIn his last two outings at the venue for the one-off Test match, Ashwin starred with the ball. His last appearance at the venue, also known as the Uppal Stadium, came four years ago. With his killer off-spinners, Ashwin had demolished Australia, bagging six wickets to lead India to an innings and 115-run victory. And before that, in 2012, the world's number one ranked Test bowler had bulldozed New Zealand single handedly, accounting for 12 wickets, to guide the home side to an innings and 135-run win. Ashwin is just two scalps shy from joining the 250-wicket club in Tests and very few would bet against him from achiveing the feat in the Hyderabad five-dayer.  HEAD-TO-HEADTests - 8India wins - 6Draws - 2Highest totals - India (610/3d), Bangladesh (400)Lowest totals - India (243), Bangladesh 91Most runs - Sachin Tendulkar (820), Mohammad Ashraful (386)Highest score - Tendulkar (248*), Ashraful (158*)Most wickets - Zaheer Khan (31), Mohammad Rafique (15)Best bowling - Zaheer (7/87), Naimur Rahman (6/132)