A new captain, a returning hero, a couple of pacy fast bowlers and plenty of batsmen desperate to firm up their places in the Test team. On the surface this might just look like another Test match for India, but when they face Bangladesh from Wednesday, there will be plenty at stake.
Virat Kohli as permanent Test captain will be an interesting watch, even if a glimpse was given of what was to come in the last Test series Down Under.
Kohli will want to mould this Test team into his style, and what better way to do that than to start with a win over Bangladesh, the underdogs, desperate to make their own mark in the five-day arena.
The batting looks a lot more settled for India at the moment, even if the withdrawal of Lokesh Rahul was a bit of a blow. Rahul showed how compact and good a Test batsman he can be with a hundred against Australia, and, no doubt, he will have more of a say in the coming months when India play a lot more five-day games at home.
Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, happy to be back in more familiar sub-continental conditions, will open the batting for India, while Cheteshwar Pujara is expected to be the No.3. If Kohli does not come at one-down, he will at No.4, with the ever-improving Ajinkya Rahane to follow.
With Rahul out, it opens up a place for Rohit Sharma, again a different beast when it comes to sub-continental pitches. Wriddhiman Saha will want to make an impact as he takes over the reins from MS Dhoni as India's wicketkeeper/batsman. With several wicketkeepers lying in wait for an opportunity, Saha will want to cement his place in this India Test team with a solid performance behind the stumps and similar one with the bat, if and when called for.
Amongst the bowlers, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh look certainties, which means the only way one of Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Aaron can play is if Kohli and team director Ravi Shastri decide to go with one batsmen less (read Rohit Sharma).
In the Bangladesh camp, there are a couple of decisions to make as well, chief of them being if skipper Mushfiqur Rahim will be fit enough to keep. At the moment it looks like he will not, owing to a finger injury, which means a place in the team for Litton Das.
"It is not that I am excited. There is always the plan to be prepared to play in any situation," Litton Das was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo when asked how he feels about the prospect of playing in his first Test match.
"I would always be hoping to play a match. I will consider myself lucky if I do get a chance, because India is one of the top three teams in the world.
"It is a big opportunity for me. There cannot be a bigger dream than performing well. I would want to give as much as the team wants, in whichever position. I am just training as I do."
With Rubel Hossain returning to the squad, Bangladesh also have a decision to make on their bowling attack. The pacers were decent against Pakistan, but with the pitch in Fatullah expected to aid the slower bowlers, the chances of the home team playing three fast bowlers are pretty slim, which means a likely lineup of Rubel and Mohammad Shahid, or even just one of them in a spin-heavy attack.
Bangladesh will have to do without the services of Mahmudullah, though, after the batsman was ruled out of the Test and the three ODIs due to an injury picked up in training.
Squads: India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Karn Sharma, Varun Aaron, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das, Shuvagata Som, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Shahid, Rubel Hossain, Jubair Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Abul Hassan.
Expected lineups: India: Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav.
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das, Taijul Islam, Jubair Hossain, Mohammad Shahid, Rubel Hossain.
