The first Test of a two-match series between India and Bangladesh is set to commence at the historic M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. This clash marks the beginning of a busy Test season for India, which includes a three-match series against New Zealand at home and the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
The venue last hosted a Test match in 2021, where India comfortably defeated England by 317 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin played a pivotal role in that victory, scoring a century and taking eight wickets across both innings. While historically, the team batting first has enjoyed a slight advantage at Chepauk, records suggest that chasing isn’t a bad option either. In recent times, the team batting first has lost three out of the last five Tests held at this iconic ground.
The upcoming match will be played on a red-soil pitch, a departure from the usual surface offered at the venue. This red-soil pitch is expected to assist the pacers with its good bounce and carry, with spinners likely to come into play later in the match as the pitch breaks under the sun.
Looking at the historical data, spinners have dominated at Chepauk, picking up 584 wickets compared to 381 taken by the pacers. Spinners have a strike rate of a wicket every 31.58 runs, while pacers strike every 34.12 runs. However, in the last two Tests held here in 2021, the pacers had a better average than the spinners, primarily due to the reverse-swing coming into play.
The team winning the toss hasn’t held a significant advantage at Chepauk, winning 12 out of 22 games that have had a result. The team losing the toss has won 10 games. Interestingly, in 33 out of the 34 Tests held here, the team winning the toss opted to bat first. The only exception was England in 1982, who won the toss and elected to bowl first, resulting in a drawn match.
With the pitch offering something for both pacers and spinners, the first Test between India and Bangladesh promises to be an exciting contest. The match will be a crucial test for both teams as they gear up for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand and Australia.
