'Gavaskar's Warning to Rohit Sharma following Pakistan's Lesson: Be Cautious of Bangladesh Threat'

With just 10 Tests left to secure a spot in the final of the World Test Championship, Gavaskar emphasizes the need for India to stay vigilant and not become complacent. Currently leading the WTC table with 74 points and a 68.52 percentage, India is just above Australia, with Bangladesh not far behind in 4th place. Past editions have shown that anything can happen, which is why Gavaskar urges India to not delay in securing their place in the final.

"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 wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

"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."

India, eyeing a hat-trick of WTC finals, are hoping to emerge third time lucky – provide they make the summit clash in June next year – after the disappointing results of 2021 and 2023. After Bangladesh, India host New Zealand for a three-Test series before embarking on a testing tour of Australia. Winners of consecutive series Down Under in 2018-19 and 2020-21, India promise to leave no stone unturned as they aim for an unprecedented three-in-three.

Not many teams can brag of beating Australia in a Test series on their home soil, and for India, there cannot be a bigger source of motivation than a place in the WTC final. After all, Rohit Sharma would be eager to settle the score for India's painful defeats in the WTC 2023 and the ODI World Cup finals. Gavaskar expects India to be fighting tooth and nail, making the upcoming 10 Tests a riveting affair.

"India have 10 Test matches coming up over the next four and a half months and they need to win at least five of them to give themselves a good chance to qualify for the World Test Championship final. of these Tests will be easy and so we could be in for an exciting summer of cricket," the legendary former India captain pointed out.