India to play B'desh with records in mind

India's struggling top order will look to get into the scoring mould as they take on minnows Bangladesh in the inaugral Test in Dhaka on Friday.

India's struggling top order batsmen will look to get into the big-scoring mould as they take on minnows Bangladesh in a two-Test cricket series starting in Dhaka on Friday after plenty of drama off the field.

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A lot of importance will be attached to the match, to be held under unprecedented security arrangements at the Bangabandhu stadium, following a death threat to Indian cricketers from a militant group.

Nevertheless, one can be sure that discussions will return to cricket matters once the dust around the security issue settles down. And inevitably, the topic most likely to dominate the print and electronic space would be the hosts' status as a Test playing nation.

Bangladesh have lost 29 of the 32 Tests they have played so far and drawn the remaining three. The 'draw' percentage goes down further at home, only one of 13 matches besides the dozen defeats.

A huge billboard of a smiling Dave Whatmore welcomes one and all at the gates of the National stadium. But it is long since one saw Bangladesh's Sri Lankan coach actually smile on the cricket field.