"I always support the underdogs": Ravichandran Ashwin applauds Bangladesh's impressive cricket victory over Pakistan

CHENNAI: Indian star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised the Bangladesh cricket team and also showed his admiration towards the underdogs following their recent triumph against Pakistan, a series that has sent ripples through the cricketing world.

The Rohit Sharma-led side and Bangladesh will play a two-match series. The second match of the series will be played in Kanpur. Ashwin acknowledged the exceptional performance of the Bangladeshi team, underscoring their rapid rise in international cricket.

"They have put their hand up and said, 'look, we are a team on the rise and we are playing wonderful cricket,'" Ashwin stated before the start of the match, reflecting on Bangladesh's growing prowess on the cricket field.

His words came after witnessing some clips from the series against Pakistan, which were not broadcast live in India. Despite this, the snippets he saw were enough to impress him. "I am one of those guys who loves to see the underdog come out and perform.

You can't call them an underdog anymore; they have played some wonderful cricket," he stated emphatically. This victory is particularly significant for Bangladesh, as it demonstrates their ability to compete at the highest level.

Their recent performance against Pakistan where they whitewashed them in their backyard, is not an isolated incident but rather a continuation of their impressive form, as highlighted by their strong challenge against India during their last encounter in Bangladesh.

"They challenged us in Bangladesh when we were there the last time," Ashwin remarked. Ashwin's acknowledgment of this further cements the respect and recognition that the Bangladeshi team is earning on the international stage.

Ashwin is particularly excited about future encounters with Bangladesh. "Really looking forward to a good series," he said, anticipating competitive and high-quality cricket from the rising team.

Earlier, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and elected to bowl first against India at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday. "I'd like to bowl first.

There's moisture on the wicket and we want to make use of it. The pitch looks hard and there's moisture. The first session will be very good for the seamers. The way we played that series (against Pakistan), we are confident.

This is a new series, we'll have to follow our processes. It's a good mixture of experience and youth. We will go with three seamers and two spin allrounders," Shanto said after winning the toss.

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma said that if he had won the toss, he would have bowled as well. India is going with three seamers as there are overcast conditions in Chennai. "I would have done that as well (bowl first).

Little soft, the pitch. It's going to be challenging conditions. We have prepared well, so we should back our potential and play the way we know. Looking at the 10 Test matches, every match is important.

But we want to focus on what lies in front of us. We came here a week back, we had a good prep leading up to this one. We feel confident. Three seamers and two spinners - Bumrah, Akash Deep, Siraj, Ashwin and Jadeja," Rohit said.

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.