IND vs BAN: Why India are playing with three pacers at home for first time after 2019?

IND vs BAN: Many were left surprised as India captain Rohit Sharma announced that three pacers and just two spinners would be playing in the first Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, September 19.

Chennai's Chepauk has traditionally been known to produce spin-friendly surfaces, and teams winning the toss have always looked to bat first. However, that trend was also changed by Bangladesh when Najmul Hossain Shanto invited India to bat first.

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It's the first instance of a team electing to bowl first after winning the toss since 1982. For the first time in 21 Test matches in Chennai, the team winning the toss elected to bowl first in Chennai.

In fact, Bangladesh also made the decision to play the first Test with three pacers and two spinners. So, what led to India playing with three spinners, and Bangladesh doing the same and opting to bowl first?

Red soil pitch and overcast conditions in Chennai on Day 1

The red soil has been used to prepare the Chennai pitch for the first Test. Therefore, pacers will benefit early in the innings, and spinners will also come into play later. The same soil is used at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium which supports the pacers.

Also, a good amount of moisture was present at the Chennai surface, promising a guaranteed help for the pacers. The cherry on the top was the overcast conditions in Chennai with a cool breeze.

It has been overcast in Chennai since the last few days, and similar conditions can prevail in the coming days. Therefore, it was a no-brainer for India to play with three pacers. They last went forward with the combination in a home Test match against the same opposition in 2019. Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Shami played in the pink ball Test match in Kolkata.

Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep are the three pacers for this Test, while Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja are the two spinners.