Bangladesh 'a force to reckon with': Gavaskar warns India

India legend Sunil Gavaskar has cautioned that India must not underestimate Bangladesh in their upcoming two-match Test series, set to begin on 19 September in Chennai.

Bangladesh are riding high after a historic 2-0 series win over Pakistan, and while they have yet to secure a Test victory against India, Gavaskar believes the visitors are ready to challenge India this time.

"By beating Pakistan in both the Test matches played in Pakistan, the Bangladesh team have shown that they are a force to reckon with. Even a couple of years back, when India toured Bangladesh, they were given a good fight by the Bangladeshis. Now with the series win against Pakistan under their belt, they are primed to take on India too," Gavaskar wrote in his Mid-Day column.

The former India opener also highlighted that Bangladesh boast "promising new players" capable of making a significant impact, warning that no side can afford to be complacent against the Tigers.

"They have some fine players in their ranks and some new promising players who no longer have the awe of the opposition that seemed to characterize their early forays into the international game.

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"Now, every team that play them know they can't put their guard down as they could be knocked down as the Pakistanis found out. It will certainly be a series to look forward to," added the 75-year-old, who has scored over 10 thousand runs in 125 Test matches.

Bangladesh are touring India for a full series -- comprising two Tests and three T20Is -- for the first time since 2019. In their last two Test tours, they suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of the Asian giants.