India’s stand-in captain KL Rahul has revealed they will be aggressive in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh with ICC Test Championship final qualification on the line. The visitors will aim to come up with a collective show against the Tigers and give their best.
Meanwhile, India had qualified for the final in the maiden edition of the ICC Test Championship but could not cross the final hurdle against New Zealand. They are currently in fourth place in the standings behind Australia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
Thus, the upcoming Test series will hold a lot of value for the Indian team in order to qualify for the final.
“There is a Test championship (final) qualification so we will also have to be aggressive. We know where we stand and what we need to do to qualify for the final,” said Rahul during a media conference after the unveiling of the trophy.
“Each day, each session we will assess what is required for the team in that particular moment and give our best.”
Rahul added that they won’t approach the game with a certain mindset but they will try to be aggressive in getting the result.
“We won’t go in with any set mindset. Yes, there is a certain history of a venue, you look at the numbers and take some pointers from that. At least for us we will go there and try to be aggressive and brave, try and get a result.
“The game is played over five days so it is important to break it down to smaller targets. In every session, the demands would be different but one thing is sure that you are going to see a lot of aggressive cricket from our side,” the skipper assured.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul was also asked about England’s aggressive approach in Test matches. England has adopted Bazball, which is helping them get positive results. The Three Lions took an impregnable lead of 2-0 in the series against Pakistan after winning the second Test by 26 runs.
“As cricketers, I don’t think it is reckless cricket. They have a certain mindset, they thought about it, they back their players and the players are doing the job for the team, so it doesn’t matter how you have done it. Cricket is changing, there is no set way of how this game needs to be played,” the stylish opener said.
“To watch these two matches between England and Pakistan has really been interesting. I am really enjoying watching Test cricket being played like that, a very fearless, taking the game on. But each team has its own way. All teams can learn a thing or two from the teams that are doing well. You can’t always have the same approach. You turn up according to the conditions,” he said, providing his take on the English approach.
The first Test match between India and Bangladesh will be played from Wednesday.