Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque won the toss and opted to bat against India in the opening Test of the two-match series at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Thursday. This is Mominul's first match as Test captain.
After winning the toss, Mominul explained he had opted to bat as the pitch was "hard", though it could "break" in the fourth innings. Mominul said Bangladesh had opted for seven batsmen and four bowlers.
Indian captain Virat Kohli said he would have wanted to bowl first as the pitch had grass and "Indore's been a bit spicy on day one." Kohli also said bowling first was ideal for his five-man bowling attack, which includes three fast bowlers: Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami and Ishant Sharma. Sharma replaced left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who played in India's last Test, against South Africa.
Bangladesh are without star all-rounder and previous Test captain Shakib Al-Hasan, who was banned by the ICC for two years for not reporting a 'corrupt' approach by bookies.
The next Test match between India and Bangladesh is at Eden Gardens from November 22.
