India ensured they didn't have to work on a Sunday by ending the first Test of the Bangladesh series at Indore inside three days. However, such luck might elude them at Kolkata for the pink ball Test with the action set to begin on Friday.
The Day-night Test match timings are adjusted to ensure office-goers can attend the matches late in the evenings, but if India's bowlers continue to be as potent and Bangladesh's batsmen are weak as they have been, we might just see a two-day finish. This would mean another off day on Sunday. If you see it that way, this is turning more into a contest between India and Sunday rather than India and Bangladesh
WATCH OUT FOR:
Mohammed Shami: Enough said of the batsmen. We have a clear winner in the bowling category in Mohammed Shami. The pace bowler has taken 29 wickets in his last six Test matches including 18 of them in the second innings of Tests. He sleeps through the first innings before coming to life in the second and is one player to watch out for with the pink ball in hand.
Read: Shami stars in India's crushing Test win over Bangladesh
Australia and mercurial Pakistan
Steven Smith's marathon run of form will have a major roadblock when he takes on Pakistan at home in the first Test at Brisbane. Oh wait, maybe not! In 35 Tests at home against Pakistan, Australia have only lost four in their cricketing history. With Pakistan sporting a new-look outfit and Australia set to steam in with full power after an Ashes win, this could well be another big series for Smith and his team, err, Paine and his team.
Read: Australia ban Pattinson from Pakistan Test for 'personal abuse'
WATCH OUT FOR:
Pat Cummins: 43 wickets in eight matches. That's Pat Cummins leading the bowling charts in Tests in 2019 with quite some lead over the next best bowler who has 34. His pace, accuracy and relentless aggression make Cummins a big player for Australia in Tests and Pakistan will have their task cut out against someone like him.
England vs New Zealand and a tie looks unlikely, maybe a draw?
It seems like every time England and New Zealand face-off, we have a tie these days. After the World Cup finals, we saw another tie and Super Over in the final T20I at Auckland, and as we head into the longest format of the game, let's just hope there are no more heart-wrenching moments. In their 49-match history in New Zealand, England have had a great time, winning 18 and losing five. Wait, where are the rest of the results? 26 of these matches have ended in tame draws. Wow! So how's this series going to pan out? The first Test starts this upcoming week at Mount Maunganui.
Read: A dramatic Super Over repeat between New Zealand and England
WATCH OUT FOR:
Stuart Broad: Following Pat Cummins close on his heels in 2019 is Stuart Broad with 34 wickets in eight Tests. There's no David Warner, unfortunately, but Broad is likely to have enough left-handers to aim at as the Tests against New Zealand kick-off. To start off with, New Zealand's openers, Jeet Raval and Tom Latham, are both lefties. That should be a mouth-watering contest given that Broad has been excellent against left-handers for a while now.
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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Indranil Mukherjee
