Rahane replaces Nair in Indian team for Test match against Bangladesh

Seasoned Test batsman Ajinkya Rahane will replace emerging batting sensation Karun Nair in the Indian team for the Test match against Bangladesh, starting from Thursday in Hyderabad.

India shall be playing their sub-continent neighbours Bangladesh in a one-off test at Hyderabad from February 9 to February 13 . 

Rahane had missed the last two England Tests due to a finger injury and is now fit to take the field.

“Karun did well but we cannot ignore what Jinx (Ajinkya Rahane) has done over the past two years. He has put in lots of hard work and has performed,” said Kohli a day before India play Bangladesh in the one-off Test at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium at Uppal.

Kohli says the team management’s focus is to back players making a comeback from injury. “The big challenge,” he says, is to “ensure that we back players making a comeback and keep the youngsters in the squad and groom them.”

“We are lucky that we have a bench strength. We have a pool of 20-30 players from which we can choose,” added Kohli.

The Indian team goes into the Test match with a lot of confidence after clinching thumping series wins over New Zealand and England. The team has been well led by Virat Kohli and would look to consolidate their No. 1 Test rankings before facing the Australians at home. 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh would like to make the most of their opportunity playing on Indian soil. The Bangladesh team also comes into the series after putting up a valiant performance against the English at home. Bangladesh shall be missing their dependable opener Imrul Kayes who has been ruled out with a thigh injury.Soumya Sarkar will most likely replace Imrul Kayes.