Exclusive: India vs Bangladesh 2024 Test Squad and Players List

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play together as we look at the strongest India vs Bangladesh test series squad and players list 2024. 

It’s been almost 5 since Team India last played a Test match. England had toured India in January, and since then India have been only playing T20Is and IPL. But when is the next Test series for Team India? Well, it’s only a couple of months away with India taking on Bangladesh in a 2-match Test series at home. The start of the Bangladesh Test series will just start the Test season for the Indian team as they then play New Zealand at home, and then Australia away from home.

If we look at the last Test series vs England, a lot of regular first-choice players were missing from the squad. Right from Virat Kohli, who was out due to paternal duties, India were without Rishabh Pant, who was yet to recover from the accident, and KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami, who were still recovering from the injuries. The batting department saw a complete overhaul with the likes of Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Rajat Patidar, and Devdutt Padikkal being given more opportunities.

With the next Test series against Bangladesh, we may expect most of the first-choice players who weren’t a part of the England series to make a comeback. So, assuming all players are fit and available, what will be the best Test squad that Team India can choose for the 2024 Test series vs Bangladesh? Well, let’s decode the squad as we look at them categorically.

Team India Strongest Squad for Test Series vs Bangladesh:

Starting with the batters, India will see RoKo, that’s Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing together for the first time after the 2024 T20 World Cup. This will be the first time we will see RoKo playing together since the World Cup, and all fans will be delighted with the return of the duo. Both had retired from T20Is after the World Cup, and are likely to miss the Sri Lanka tour.

Alongside Rohit and Virat, India will see Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Sarfaraz Khan as the other four batters. While KL Rahul had missed the England Test series due to injury, he should return to the team with youngsters, Jaiswal, Gill, and Sarfaraz almost confirmed to play. From the batting position perspective, Jaiswal should open, Gill at 3, Kohli at 4, and KL/Sarfaraz should play at 5.

Talking about wicket-keeping, we can finally expect KL Rahul to play purely as a batter with the return of Rishabh Pant. Pant was and will always be the first-choice keeper in Test matches. So, with him returning, and Dhruv Jurel’s good outing against England, these two should be the two primary keepers in the side. While Pant shall be the first-choice keeper, Dhruv Jurel shall be his backup. Overall, India will have only two keepers in the side with KL Rahul and also Sarfaraz Khan as need-basis keepers.

All-rounders and Bowlers?

Coming to all-rounders, India will continue to play all three spin all-rounders in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja. Whenever India has played a Test match in India, these three have always been a part of the squad. So, expect India to continue playing them with Washington Sundar being on standby, if required. Alongside the spin trio, India will also have Kuldeep Yadav as a pure spinner in the squad.

Coming to the pacers, India will be happy if Mohammed Shami returns to the scenes. It’s been almost a year since Shami has played any competitive cricket. But after a successful surgery in February before IPL 2024, Shami is to join the team in September with the Bangladesh Test series. With Shami there, India will also see Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as the other two pacers in the squad. If required for an additional pacer, India may opt for Mukesh Kumar, but that possibility looks bleak for now. 

Finally, if India decide to play one more batter, then India will have to choose one between Shreyas Iyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. It will be a difficult decision for the Indian team as whoever India chooses shall mostly be a backup. Currently India have only two openers on the side, so the role of backup opener looks more logical, thus Ruturaj Gaikwad should get an opportunity as the backup opener in the squad.

India vs Bangladesh 2024 Strongest Test Squad and Players List:  

Batters: Rohit Sharma (c), Sarfaraz Khan, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli & Yashasvi Jaiswal

WKs: Dhruv Jurel, KL Rahul & Rishabh Pant

All-rounders: Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja & Ravichandran Ashwin

Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami & Mohammed Siraj

So, that’s about the strongest squad list for Team India for the 2024 Test series vs Bangladesh. Overall, India will select a 15-member squad as they usually do. In case they need a 16th member, it will mostly be a batter with a possibility of Ruturaj Gaikwad being given that opportunity. If India decide to select an extra pace, Mukesh Kumar can get that opportunity. 

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