Rohit, Gambhir shine as Morne Morkel makes debut in India's preparation for Bangladesh Test series

India kicked off their preparations for the upcoming home season in Chennai on Friday, with the towering presence of Morne Morkel stealing the spotlight. The team is gearing up for a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, set to begin on September 19 as part of the World Test Championship. Under the guidance of head coach Gautam Gambhir, the squad members gathered in Chennai for a preparatory camp to fine-tune their skills before the series kicks off.

The Bangladesh series will mark a lot of firsts for the Indian side. It will be coach Gambhir's first red-ball assignment since taking over the mantle from Rahul Dravid. His tenure started last month with the Sri Lanka tour, where India blanked the hosts 3-0 in T20Is but lost the ODI series 1-2.

He addressed the group before the start of the training session. Two assistant coaches, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, who were also with the team in Sri Lanka, accompanied him. This is the first time any Indian head coach has opted for two designated assistant coaches. Gambhir's coaching staff currently has no batting coach. The duty will likely be shared among Gambhir, Nayar, and ten Doeschate.

Morkel will handle the bowling department. The former South African speedster, who has replaced Paras Mhambrey as India's bowling coach, will begin his Team India journey with the Bangladesh series. He was Gambhir's first preference as a bowling coach after working with him at the Lucknow Super Giants during the IPL.

Apart from being one of South Africa's leading pacers during his playing days, Morkel has an impressive CV as a bowling coach. He is often credited for doing a wonderful job with Pakistan pacers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf during his tenure with PCB last year.

It will be interesting to see how he forms a partnership with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. He will also have the opportunity to shape young seamers like Akash Deep, and Yash Dayal, who has earned his maiden India call-up for the Bangladesh series.

Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant will make a comeback to Test cricket after a long gap. Kohli last played for India during the South Africa tour in December-January. He was not available for selection for the entire England series at home due to personal reasons. Pant, on the other hand, returns to Test cricket for the first time since December 2022.

Vital World Test Championship (WTC) points are at stake in the two-match series as India get ready for a a gruelling 10-match Test season, which also includes a three-Test series at home against New Zealand and the five-match Border-Gavaskar series later this year in Australia.

India are currently heading the table with 68.52 percentage points, while Australia are a close second with 62.50 percentage points.

Bangladesh have jumped to the fourth spot with 45.83 percentage points following their 10-wicket win against Pakistan in the opening Test and their amazing fight-back in the second Test where wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das scored a century to singlehandedly guide the side to a series triumph.

The first Test will be played at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from September 19 while the second will take place in Kanpur from September 27.