 | « Back to article | Print this article |
India begins its new season with a short series against neighbours Bangladesh.
The one-off Test in Fatullah, on the outskirts of Dhaka, in many ways, signals the start of a new era for Indian cricket, as Virat Kohli will take over as full-time captain of the Test side following the retirement of Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the longer format during the tour of Australia.
Kohli made his approach clear ahead of the team's departure, saying his squad has enough experience and it's time to shift the focus from learning to winning.
"I think it's time; we have played enough Tests so that we start executing our skills and getting results our way and have the vision and the focus to win Test matches, not just go out there with the mindset of learning with every game," he said.
India have named a strong squad for the Test and selecting the final eleven will not be easy for Kohli and the team management.
Among the big decisions he will have to make are whether to field all three spinners -- Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Karn Sharma -- on pitches expected to turn or draft in an extra pace bowler.
With K L Rahul ruled out because of illness, Shikhar Dhawan gets another chance to cement a place in the Test team, while it would be interesting to see if Cheteshwar Pujara, who was dropped from the playing eleven during the Test series in Australia, gets a look-in.
You can help the young Kohli in his decisions. Be the selector, pick your team for the Test, commencing Wednesday, June 10.