IND vs BAN, 2024: How Bangladesh Bowlers Cracked The Pakistan Batting? Does The Same Fate Wait For India?

Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rohit Sharma and Shakib Al Hasan [X]

Bangladesh recently surprised the world with their show in the two-match Test series in Pakistan. They won both the games and clean-swept the Asian giants on their home turf. As far as cricket fans and experts are concerned, the Bangladeshi spinners did the trick for the team in the series. With them visiting India next, we will try to answer a few questions ahead of the series. 

Was it really the Bangladeshi spinners that led to Pakistan’s defeat?

With all the discussions around Bangladesh's spin department, the first question that comes to mind is: Is the hype real? Was it the spinners alone that resulted in Bangladesh's sensational win?

Let us look at a few numbers during the Pakistan vs Bangladesh series - 

Record of BAN spinners vs PAK [OneCricket]

The figure above shows that while the Bangladeshi spinners played an important role in deciding the fate of the PAK vs BAN series, the pacers were the more efficient. 

However, a deeper look into the two games of the PAK vs BAN series will reveal that while the spinners did the trick in the first game, the pacers were the trump cards for Najmul Hossain Shanto in the second match.

Despite the numbers, we must remember that the Bangladeshi spinners caused much trouble for the Pakistani batters. With expectedly more assistance during the IND vs BAN series, they might turn out to be the nemesis of the Indian batters.

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How good are the Indian batters vs Spin?

Shubman Gill has been the easiest victim of left-arm spinners in last three years [X]

India have not yet announced their squad for the Bangladesh series. However, we can probably guess the batters who might play for India in the series. Considering that the home team goes in with their general combination, the Indian batters might be Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja.

Let us check the record of these batters against spin bowling. The two spinners used by Bangladesh in the PAK vs BAN series were Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. So, we will check the record of the Indian batters against left-arm orthodox spinners and off-spinners.

Indian batters vs Left-arm spinners in Test cricket (Last three years)

Conclusion - The figures reveal that barring the right handed batter have struggled against left-arm spinners in Test cricket. This means, that Shakib Al Hasan will become a crucial player in the series. 

Possible counter from India - India may look to keep one more left handed batter in the line-up. Axar Patel who has currently shown great form with the bat could be a great option as besides batting, he will also add depth and dynamism to the bowling department. 

Indian batters vs Off Spinners spinners in Test cricket (Last three years)

Conclusion - The record of the Indian batters against Off-spinners in the last three years is a bit concerning. The batters have failed to keep up the scoring rate upto the modern standards and have also often been dismissed by them. Barring, Yashasvi Jasiwal and Rishabh Pant, the numbers for all the batters is something that must alarm the Indian management. 

Virat Kohli has struggled against off-spin in the last three years [X]

Possible counter from India - The Indian management can look to include a batter who likes to dominate the spinners. Someone like a Sarfraz Khan or Musheer Khan, who has played a brilliant knock in the Duleep Trophy 2024, could be a valuable addition to the team. The presence of the dynamic batter in the middle-order against spinners will release the pressure on the other batters and they can look to play their own game. 

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Conclusion

One discipline cannot you Test matches. As far as Pakistan was concerned there were some major issues in their selection during the Bangladesh series. While in the first match they went with a spineless attack, in the second match they decided to not include their premier pacers in the playing XI. The bizarre selection combined with lack of efforts from the players combined to result in the recent debacle that the world witnessed.

The same might not be the case for India. While the Indian batters might struggle against the spinners of Bangladesh, one must keep in mind the strength of the Indian team too. The likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel (if he is included in the playing XI) will not make life easier for the Bangladeshi batters. 

The two pitches assigned for the IND vs BAN, 2024 Test series will help the spinners, the past numbers suggest that. But it will be a test for both the teams and it will be experience and composure of the players that will decide the fate of the series. While we might see a few disappointments from the Indian batters against the Bangladeshi spinners, expecting a debacle like Pakistan might be a bit too much.

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