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Team India sprung a surprise to start their home Test season by going with three seamers for the first game against Bangladesh in Chennai. With the conditions in India usually conducive to spin, the hosts have often fielded three spinners and two pacers or even gone with a lone pacer.
However, skipper Rohit Sharma went with the three pacers - Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj - considering the overcast conditions and an unusually greenish pitch at the Chepauk.
The move had fans wondering if and when the last time India went with three fast bowlers in a home Test.
Ironically, Bangladesh were the opponents again when India last fielded three pacers in a home Test in November 2019. After winning the first Test in Indore by an innings and 130 runs, India went with Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Shami for the pink-ball second Test in Kolkata.
The two spinners for that game - Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin - are also playing the Chennai Test.
In the 2019 outing, the three-pacer move worked like a dream as they picked up all 19 Bangladesh wickets (one retired hurt). India bowled out Bangladesh for 106 in the first innings and 195 in the second to complete the win by an innings and 46 runs.
Ishant Sharma was the star with nine wickets in the match, including a five-fer in the first innings. Umesh was just as impressive with eight wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings.
Meanwhile, Shami picked up two total wickets in the contest as India completed a 2-0 series win.
"I would have done that as well" - Rohit Sharma on bowling first
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma admitted he would have bowled first after losing the toss and watching Bangladesh elect to field.
It was an unusual move, especially in Chennai, for both captains to have wanted to field first, considering the traditional win-the-toss and bat-first template in Tests in India.
Rohit said at the toss:
"I would have done that as well (bowl first). Little soft, the pitch. It's going to be challenging conditions. We have prepared well, so we should back our potential and play the way we know. Looking at the 10 Test matches, every match is important. But we want to focus on what lies in front of us."
"We came here a week back, we had a good prep leading up to this one. We feel confident. Three seamers and two spinners - Bumrah, Akash Deep, Siraj, Ashwin and Jadeja," he added.
Unfortunately for India, they lost their skipper in the first ball of the sixth over for a 19-ball 6 to fall to 14/1.
