India's practice session drops hints about Rohit Sharma's playing XI in first Test against Bangladesh

The Indian machinery for the first Test against Bangladesh, beginning September 19, looked much well oiled in their third practice session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.

Led by Rohit Sharma , the squad had an intensive training session at the Chepauk stadium, with every member of the 16-man squad present for the practice.

Virat Kohli was among the first set of batsmen to enter the nets. He was accompanied by left-handed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the adjacent net, as they faced pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and off-spinner R Ashwin, who will mark his 101st Test appearance.

Following them, skipper Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Sarfaraz Khan took their turns in the nets. Sarfaraz had recently arrived in Chennai after participating in the second round of the Duleep Trophy match in Anantapur.

Rohit, meanwhile, focused on playing against spinners, keeping in mind the spin-heavy attack of the Bangladeshi team.

Other team members, including all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, also had their share of batting practice against local bowlers and faced a significant number of throwdowns. The first Test between India and Bangladesh is scheduled to commence on Thursday.

The main square's practice pitch provided a reasonable level of bounce during the training session.

Before the series opener against Bangladesh, who are brimming with confidence following their clean sweep in Pakistan, India has scheduled two additional practice sessions.

The playing eleven is mostly self-selecting. The Chennai pitch typically assists spinners, and there's a good chance India will field three spinners and two pacers for the match.

Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav are the spinners likely to be included, while Bumrah and Siraj will handle the pace-bowling duties. Despite his impressive all-round performances across formats, Axar Patel may have to sit out this game.

In the batting department, Pant is anticipated to make his Test comeback after a nearly two-year absence. In that case, Dhruv Jurel, who impressed in his debut series against England, will be on the bench.