Sunil Gavaskar warns India to not underestimate Bangladesh after historic win over Pakistan

Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has urged Rohit Sharma’s side to be wary of the Bangladesh team in the upcoming two-match Test series, highlighting the visitors' confidence after a historic 2-0 series win against Pakistan. 

The series opener will take place at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium from September 19-23, followed by the second Test at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium from September 27 to October 1.

“By beating Pakistan in both the Test matches played in Pakistan, the Bangladesh team have shown that they are a force to reckon with. Even a couple of years back, when India toured Bangladesh, they were given a good fight by the Bangladeshis. Now with the series win against Pakistan under their belt, they are primed to take on India too,” Gavaskar said.

The former opening batter further pointed out the growth of Bangladesh’s team, which no longer feels intimidated by strong opposition. 

“They have some fine players in their ranks and some new promising players who no longer have the awe of the opposition that seemed to characterise their early forays into the international game. Now, every team that play them know they can't put their guard down as they could be knocked down as the Pakistanis found out. It will certainly be a series to look forward to,” he said.

Both matches are part of the 2023-2025 World Test Championship cycle. India leads the table with 68.52 percentage points, while Bangladesh sits in fourth place with 45.83 points. This series kicks off a demanding season for India, which includes a three-match Test series against New Zealand in October-November and the much-anticipated five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia.

India will be eyeing a spot in the 2025 World Test Championship final, set to be held at Lord's from June 11-15 next year.