Bangladesh vs India 1st Test: With Eye On WTC, Stand-In Skipper KL Rahul Says India Need To Be Aggressive
NDTV
The Indian team will be without three key players -- Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and regular skipper Rohit Sharma -- due to injuries.
A spot in the World Test Championship final at stake, a depleted Indian team has no option but to play an aggressive brand of cricket against Bangladesh in the two-match series starting Wednesday, stand-in skipper KL Rahul said on Monday. The Indian team will be without three key players -- Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and regular skipper Rohit Sharma -- due to injuries. Having already lost the ODI series, the Indian team will need to win its next six Test matches (two in Bangladesh and four vs Australia at home) to remain in contention for a top-two spot in the World Test Championship points table.
As of now, Indian team is placed fourth in the table with 52.08 percentage points while Australia (75 percentage points) and South Africa (60 percentage points) are placed first and second. Sri Lanka, with 64 percentage points, is third in the list.
"There is a Test championship (final) qualification so we will also have to be aggressive. We know where we stand and what we need to do to qualify for the final," said Rahul during a media conference after the unveiling of the trophy.
"Each day, each session we will assess what is required for the team in that particular moment and give our best." The season-ending World Test Championship will be held in June, 2023 at the Oval in London.
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