CHENNAI: It is back to business for Rohit Sharma's side following a much-deserved month-long break, as the team commenced their preparations under new coach Gautam Gambhir for the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh.
With the first Test against Bangladesh scheduled to begin in Chennai on 19 September, the entire squad, including Rohit and batting stalwart Virat Kohli, gathered at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. They were joined by new bowling coach, South African great Morne Morkel, and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.
The BCCI posted images of the first day of practice, stating, "The countdown starts as Team India begin their preps for an exciting home season." The images showed the entire squad attentively listening to Gambhir, his support staff, and skipper Rohit.
India skipper Rohit arrived in Chennai on Thursday, while Virat Kohli flew in directly from London for the opening Test. In a PTI video, Rohit was seen emerging from the airport in a yellow jersey, escorted by security personnel. Kohli arrived from London on an early morning flight.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant had earlier reached the city on Thursday.
The players are returning to the field after a much-needed break of more than a month. They will aim to put behind the disappointment of losing the ODI series against Sri Lanka in August and get back to winning ways under Gambhir. This will be India's first Test under Gambhir and his new support staff, and it will be interesting to see how Rohit's side approaches the game against Bangladesh, which is buoyed by a 2-0 Test series win over Pakistan.
Vital World Test Championship (WTC) points are at stake in the two-match series as India prepares for a gruelling 10-match Test season. This includes a three-Test series at home against New Zealand and the five-match Border-Gavaskar series later this year in Australia.
India currently leads the table with 68.52 percentage points, while Australia is a close second with 62.50 percentage points. Bangladesh has jumped to fourth place with 45.83 percentage points following their 10-wicket win against Pakistan in the opening Test and their remarkable fight-back in the second Test, where wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das scored a century to guide the side to a series triumph.
The second Test of the India-Bangladesh series will be played in Kanpur from 27 September.