Tigers face litmus test

If you have grown up anywhere near Bangladesh's cricketing circles, you will know just how much value this odd, one-off Test tour against India holds. 

Before writing it off as an ODI-less, boring, week-long series, think about what this tour symbolises.

For 16 years, India were the only Test nation that had failed to host Bangladesh. Inviting the 'younger sibling' of the subcontinent was never deemed as a profitable move by the Indian cricket board and it was an aspect that was criticised by sporting pundits and journalists from both countries at various points in the last decade and a half. The critical voices were especially high when Bangladesh had knocked India out of the 2007 World Cup.

It is not as though playing this series has given Bangladesh a new status in international cricket. After all, your true virtue is not realised after just one series or one game. It takes a long period of good performances and wins to actually be recognised as a force.

However, what this series symbolises is a change in era. The last time India toured Bangladesh and lost the ODI series, there were questions made by Indian journalists asking the Indian team if Bangladesh would be capable of replacing Pakistan as the new rival for India.

To go from being commercially non-viable to an almost-rival goes to show how much Bangladesh have progressed over the years and this tour of India just sums it all up quite brilliantly.

On a side note, no longer can you use the non-inviting issue to win those little cricketing debates with your Indian friends.

The inaugural aspects aside, this is probably going to be the toughest assignment Bangladesh have undertaken since their golden run began in 2015.

Going by the way Bangladesh gifted away the last two Tests to New Zealand and the manner in which they struggled in the two-day practice match against India A, it could be a challenge for Bangladesh to be competitive, let alone win the Test.

The wicket at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, which is set to host the Test from 10:00am today, is expected to assist the spinners. As a result, Bangladesh is likely to field three spinners and two pacers today.

Soumya Sarkar is set to continue opening in place of the injured Imrul Kayes and will partner Tamim Iqbal at the top. The usual suspects Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah Riyad, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Sabbir Rahman are expected to follow.

The bowling department is expected to consist of Taijul Islam, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Taskin Ahmed.

Kamrul and Taskin did not play in the two-day warm-up game and the team management will hope that the element of surprise will work.

As for India, they are expected to see the return of Ajinkya Rahane in place of Karun Nair, the youngster who scored a triple-hundred in India's last Test against England in Chennai.

Three Tests have been played in this ground before with India winning twice and drawing once.

Bangladesh have played eight Tests against India so far. They have lost six and drawn two.