Dhaka: The Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket squad arrived here, on Monday for a short series against Bangladesh, featuring a one off Test that begins on Wednesday followed by three one-day internationals.
The one off Test at Fatullah will be Virat Kohli's first as full-time captain after Mahendra Singh Dhoni abruptly retired from Tests during the tour of Australia.
Ishant Sharma, who was impressive at the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League will look to up the ante with lower ranked Bangladesh.
The 14-man side flew in from Kolkata, where it had assembled for a brief camp before the series.
Team Director Ravi Shastri along with veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and skipper Virat Kohli arrive at Dhaka airport.
Team Director Shastri, at a press conference in Kolkata mentioned that the young team will not take Bangladesh, though placed lower in the rankings lightly. Varun Aaron and Ravichandran Ashwin will look to make the most out of the conditions away from home. India will hope 'Hitman' Rohit Sharma carries on from where he last left at the IPL.
Check out: Team India undergoes fitness test, celebrates Ajinkya Rahane's birthday
Opener KL Rahul, originally named in the Test squad, was ruled out with fever and the management decided against his replacement. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh returns to the squad after playing his last international match in March 2013.
Southpaw Shikhar Dhawan will play an important role right at the start of the innings. His start will prove to be vital for Team India.
Umesh Yadav, who is on a great run has proved why he is the leader of the Indian pace attack with a successful World Cup and an even better IPL. Karn Sharma also has had a promising season so far.
SEE IN PICS: No powerplays, no strategic timeouts, Indian cricketers take in the sights
India have won six Tests out of the seven they have played against Bangladesh with one turning out to be a draw. All the five-day games have been played in Bangladesh and the last time the two teams met in a bilateral series was in 2009-10 when India won 2-0.
He may have looked a bit wayward, but don't count on medium pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. On the day, he can be a real handful for batsman swinging the ball both in both directions.
According to him, his stint at English county side Yorkshire 'improved his batting' and a specialist at Test matches, Cheteshwar Pujara will just look to add on more runs to his already 2073 runs averaging 47.11.
(*Photos: Bangladesh Cricket Board)
