Sunil Gavaskar Warns Rohit Sharma: Bangladesh Could Be a Major Threat After Last Encounter

The legendary Sunil Gavaskar has warned Rohit Sharma and the Indian squad not to underestimate Bangladesh when they play each other in the opening Test in a two-match series that begins on Thursday. Bangladesh has a history of surprising India and giving them a worry. They recently completed a historic 2-0 sweep of Pakistan.

Examples supporting this notion include the World Cup in 2007, the Asia Cup in 2012, and the shocking series losses in 2015 and 2022. Actually, before Shreyas Iyer and Ravichandran Ashwin led India home in the Dhaka Test two years ago, Bangladesh came dangerously close to making history by defeating India in the first-ever Test match.

Therefore, according to Gavaskar, there is no space for complacency this time around, particularly considering that India still has ten Tests remaining in order to qualify for the World Test Championship final the following year. With 74 points and a 68.52 percentage, India leads the WTC table, slightly ahead of Australia in second position. Bangladesh is in fourth place, not far behind. Anything can happen, as the previous two editions have shown, which is why Gavaskar doesn’t want India to leave it until the final minute.

“The Bangladeshi squad has proven that they are a formidable team by defeating Pakistan in both of the Test matches that were held in Pakistan. The Bangladeshis gave India a tough battle even a few years ago during their trip of the country. They are ready to take on India now that they have defeated Pakistan in the series,” Gavaskar said in his Mid-Day column.

“They have some excellent players in their group as well as some young, bright individuals who don’t seem to be intimidated by the opposition like they did in their early international endeavors. As the Pakistanis discovered, any team that plays them knows they cannot let their guard down for fear of being knocked out. Undoubtedly, it will be a series to be excited about.”

After the dismal outcomes of 2021 and 2023, India is aiming for a hat-trick of WTC finals and is expecting to win three times lucky—that is, if they make the summit showdown in June of next year. India will host New Zealand for three Test series following their tour of Bangladesh, and then they will go on a taxing trip of Australia. India, who won the 2018–19 and 2020–21 series in a row Down Under, vow to spare no effort in their pursuit of an unprecedented three-in-three.

There aren’t many teams that can claim to have defeated Australia in a home Test series, and for India, qualifying for the WTC final is the ultimate motivator. Ultimately, Rohit Sharma would be itching to make amends for India’s agonizing losses in the ODI World Cup finals and the WTC 2023. Gavaskar believes that India would be fighting hard for the next ten Tests, which should be an exciting match.

Over the course of the next four and a half months, India will play ten Test matches. To have a good chance of making it to the World Test Championship final, they must win at least five of those matches. We could be in for an entertaining summer of cricket because none of these Tests would be simple, the illustrious former captain of India noted.

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