Rubel Hossain versus Virat Kohli was a much anticipated contest ahead of the one-off Test. Everyone was eagerly waiting to see who gets the upper hand this time.

But surprisingly, Rubel Hossain was not even included in Tigers’ playing XI which has raised many eyebrows among the spectators. And why not? Does the selection matter concerning Rubel make any sense?

Yes, it’s true that Rubel missed Tigers’ last Test against Pakistan due to injury. But he was fully fit ahead of the Test match to don against Kohli and Co.

Maybe Rubel has a Test bowling average of 75.90 — the worst among bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 3,000 deliveries — and takes a wicket roughly every 116 balls. But one also must not forget that Rubel has the experience under his belt which could have come in handy in this match.

But alas! Our team management thought otherwise. Whereas Team India is playing three pacers, the Tigers have only one legitimate fast bowler in their line-up, and that even in the form of Mohammad Shahid who has previously played only two Test matches.

Anyway, it’s not that Shahid’s inclusion was a wrong decision. Shahid is a very good bowler and he successfully proved his worth during his debut series against Pakistan. So, it’s cool to keep him in the squad. But it would have been even more cool if Shahid had got Rubel beside him.

Had Shahid got Rubel as his opening partner instead of Soumya Sarkar, it could certainly have made a lot of difference. Rubel has got the necessary aggression and the drive to attack early on with the new ball, and who knows, Bangladesh might have even picked up an early wicket or two.

But openers Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay had no problems in negotiating Shahid and the medium pace of Sarkar in the early stage of the match. After a sedate start, Indian openers picked up the scoring rate and were at a commanding position in such an early stage, which is an ominous sign for the hosts.

Now we have to wait and see if Tigers can make any sort of comeback after making a huge mistake at the very beginning by excluding Rubel Hossain from the squad. But by now, we are yet to witness any sign of that comeback we are talking about and will be looking for, for next couple of sessions of the match.