India is set to play a two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting September 19, marking their first Test series since their victory over England at the beginning of 2024. The Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee is expected to announce the India Test squad for this series following the conclusion of the first round of the 2024 Duleep Trophy, which begins on Thursday in Bengaluru and Anantapur.
Most of India's regular Test players, except for captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravichandran Ashwin, will participate in the domestic red-ball tournament. The Duleep Trophy will play a crucial role in determining the final squad for the Bangladesh series. Players such as Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Mukesh Kumar, Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, and KS Bharat will be in action, showcasing their form and fitness.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the BCCI will finalise the squad after the first round of the Duleep Trophy, scheduled from September 5 to 8. The selected players will then attend a training camp in Chennai on September 12, ahead of the Bangladesh series.
The Bangladesh Test series will kick off India's extended Test season as part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. The series against the Najmul Shanto-led Bangladesh team, who recently achieved a historic 2-0 sweep against Pakistan, will be played in Chepauk and Kanpur. This will be followed by a three-match T20I series.
In October, India will host three Tests against New Zealand before heading to South Africa for a five-match white-ball series. The calendar year will conclude with a five-match Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.
India currently leads the WTC points table with 68.52 percentage points and could secure their place in the WTC final for the third consecutive time if they maintain their unbeaten home record against Bangladesh and New Zealand.