India-Bangladesh Combined XI

On Thursday, India and Bangladesh will play the one-off Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal in Hyderabad. It will be the first time that the latter will be playing a game in India and it will be interesting to see if they can replicate the performances at home in Indian conditions as well.

India will obviously start favourites in this game and they will hope to carry the form in Tests in 2016 into 2017 as well and hopefully, they can get off to a good start when the Test season resumes on Thursday.

Here we take a look at a combined India-Bangladesh XI:

1.Murali Vijay

The Indian opener, who has played a Test match last year on his home turf against England, will be eager to get going in the one-off Test against Bangladesh. A lot is often spoken about how Virat Kohli is the lynchpin of the present batting line-up or how Ajinkya Rahane rescues the side from a state of crisis.

However, few speak about the foundation that someone like a Vijay has laid at the top of the order, in some hostile conditions against some lively attacks. Nottingham 2014, Brisbane 2015 are some examples for his ability to put India in a strong position on his own.

The 32-year-old, who had a decent 2016 with the bat, scored a century the last time he played against this opposition and ahead of the Australia test series, beginning at the end of this month, will look to get going and provide India with the starts it needs at the top of the order.

2.Tamim Iqbal

Apart from the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim etc, if there is one batsman, who is not spoken of in the same breath as them, it is Tamim Iqbal. The left-hander has played 46 Tests and averages a healthy 39.57 with the bat, including 8 centuries and 20 half centuries.

Iqbal’s role is to get the team off to a flying start, however, not throw his wicket away quickly. He has shown in the past that he hs the ability to play the big innings, as was seen in the Test against Pakistan, where he made a double hundred and put on a huge stand for the 1st wicket.

While there is just one Test for him to show his batting prowess, a good performance against an in-form Indian bowling attack will do his confidence a world of good.

Middle Order

3.Cheteshwar Pujara

The right-hander was perhaps India’s most improved batsman of the year 2016. After enduring a torrid time in the West Indies, the 29-year-old bounced back in some style during the home season, where he adopted a different style of batting.

Pujara's most important quality has always been his defence, but from the outset against New Zealand, he combined that aspect with aggression, not backing away from giving the bad ball from what it deserved.

It was a refreshing change from usually watching the Saurashtra batsman go about his business in a dogged manner and one that found him both runs as well as a new set of fans.

Beginning 2017, Pujara will hope for more of the same and look to play a pivotal role in keeping India's Number One ranking with them.

4.Virat Kohli(Captain)

The lynchpin of the current batting line-up and someone who the visitors have to nap early in order to restrict India to a low total.

A lot has been written about Kohli's exploits with the bat and rightly so.

The right-hander has in the last 12 months, established himself as one of the best batsmen in the world, courtesy some staggering performances across all three formats of the game.

Kohli's amazing ability to get runs using orthodox cricketing shots makes him stand out from the rest of the pack and if India are to excel in the remaining 5 Tests of this home season, then it goes without saying that runs from his blade will be vital.

5.Ajinkya Rahane

In the four overseas trips starting from the South Africa in 2013 to Australia in early 2015, one man proved to be the rock in the Indian batting line-up. Ajinkya Rahane may not have the flamboyance of a Virat Kohli, but he sure has the mettle required to get the team out of a crisis.

The right-hander had a dip in form towards the end of 2016 and will be eager to get going in the game against Bangladesh.

Rahane is coming into the game on the back of an impressive knock in the Inter-Zonal T20 and he will carry the confidence of having some runs under his belt when he steps onto the field.

6.Shakib Al Hasan

One of the premier all-rounders in the game today, Shakib Al Hasan will have a key role to play if Bangladesh is to put a good showing in the game against India.

The 29-year-old all-rounder, ranked Number 2 on the ICC Rankings, has begun 2017 in excellent form with the bat in hand, having scored a double hundred against New Zealand and will look to carry that form into the game against India.

7.Mushfiqur Rahim(Wicketkeeper)

The captain of the Bangladesh Test team will have an important role to play both with bat and gloves.

Rahim, like Shakib, had a good tour of New Zealand, where he made a century and in India, his contribution with the bat will be critical for Bangladesh to reach a big total.

Rahim made a ton against India in the Test match in 2010 and in the game at Hyderabad, he will once again need to be on top of his game with the bat, for his side to put up a big total on the board.

8.Spinners

Ravichandran Ashwin

After a sensational 2016, which saw him finish as the leading wicket-taker in both Test cricket, R Ashwin will look to carry that amazing form into 2017 as well with five more Tests to go, at home.

In all of India's Test triumphs, Ashwin had a vital role to play and what was even more impressive was the fact that the 30-year-old succeeded on good pitches and not on rank turners.

Ashwin had the better of most of the key batsmen in the opposition line-up and both against Bangladesh as well as against Australia, he will once again look to remove the key players and help India triumph in both those series.

9. Ravindra Jadeja

The other half of the spin duo, who cause havoc with the ball in 2016. Ever since he made a comeback to the Test format in 2015, Jadeja has been a transformed bowler and has tasted a lot of success in the longer format of the game.

The Saurashtra all-rounder's most significant performance in 2016 came in his last Test of the year, when on the final day of the Chennai Test against England, he picked up figures of 7 for 48 to help bundle the visitors out on the final day of the game and make it 4-0 in the series.

Jadeja is a different bowler to Ashwin in the sense that he bowls at a much faster pace to Ashwin and also has a bit of sling in his action.

He will hope that in the upcoming Test against Bangladesh and in the series against Australia post that, he plays a critical role with the ball.

Fast Bowlers

10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has gone slightly under the radar, partly because he has not played consistently and also because the spinners have dominated with the ball.

But Bhuvneshwar Kumar has shown a lot of improvement in whatever games he has played across the three formats for his ability to swing the ball at pace at the start and reverse swing it later in the day.

We saw him do that with great success during the Kolkata Test against New Zealand last year, where he took a five-wicket haul and won India the game with the ball.

When fit, few can make the ball talk like he can and if given the opportunity in the one-off Test, he will look to deliver for the side.

11.Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav may find the wrath of the fans for his wayward bowling while wearing the India Blue, but when it comes to the whites, he is a totally different proposition to handle. Sometimes a captain can influence a player's performance and it seems like the leadership of Kohli has made a difference to Yadav in Tests.

He seems a more hungry bowler in Tests and he will need to bring that aspect into play in the upcoming Tests as well.