Sports Desk:

The pitch at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, which will host the first Test between India and Bangladesh starting on Thursday, is expected to favour spinners. As a result, India is likely to field three spinners alongside two pacers.

The spinners anticipated to play are Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are expected to lead the pace attack.

On the batting side, Rishabh Pant is likely to make his long-awaited return to Test cricket after nearly two years. If selected, Dhruv Jurel, who impressed during his debut series against England, will likely be benched.

Meanwhile, the Indian team had an intensive training session today as part of their preparation for the first Test. All 16 squad members participated in the practice at Chepauk after a rest day, marking their third session since arriving in Chennai last week.