Chittagong, Jan. 16: Just how this battle of unequals pans out at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here from Sunday remains to be seen, but the clash of the world’s top-ranked Test nation against the one bringing up the rear in the rankings promises to be of more than academic interest, even though the late withdrawal of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni with back spasms injected some uncertainty into India’s plans for the game.

For the record, the only reason India have not maintained a clean slate against Bangladesh in the five Test matches they have played so far from 2000 till date is weather. Three years ago, the Rahul Dravid-led Indians were held to a draw thanks to rain that washed out a full day’s play, besides cutting further into playing time through the game.

Otherwise, Test cricket’s newcomers have rarely tested their western neighbours. Three of the four matches that threw up results ended in innings defeats while the remaining one was won by nine wickets. The record therefore, is a testimonial to India’s reluctance to host the Tigers, all five previous Test between the two countries having been played here in Bangladesh.

It is therefore, a low-key contest in the offing. Bangladesh are indeed coming off a Test series win — having beaten the Floyd Reifer-led West Indies 2-0 in the Caribbean — with standout performances with bat and ball by skipper Shakib Al Hasan and all-rounder Mahmadullah Riad in particular.

Victory over a depleted Windies and taking on a full-strength India, however, are two very different kettles of fish.

What has injected — at the very last minute, so to say — some spice into the contest is the way Virender Sehwag dismissed the hosts’ chances of making a contest of it here. The stand-in India captain was abrupt when asked about Bangladesh’s chances, and if nothing else, it will make the Tigers play with a little more resolve that they may otherwise have displayed against their "favourite" opponents.

Be that as it may, about the only serious problem facing the think tank is the composition of the bowling attack. With the top order well settled, who will partner Zaheer Khan in the pace department is what remains to be decided, and here too the likely composition of the playing XI may not prove to be much of a headache.

Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir had pretty forgettable outings with the bat in the just-concluded tri-series but Rahul Dravid has travelled here with a Ranji Trophy semi-final double-hundred in his pocket. And with the likes of V.V.S. Laxman and Yuvraj Singh to follow, the batting appears to be in safe hands.

What could be an issue is the ability of the attack to take the 20 wickets needed to win the match. Harbhajan has been patchy off late and given the appearance of the pitch, will be called on to bowl long spells alongside Amit Mishra. Shantakumaran Sreesanth is on the shortlist to make the cut and his aggression should prove a good foil to Zaheer’s canny wares.

For their part, Bangladesh will hope the on-and-off Mohammad Ashraful will deliver commensurate with his immense talent.

A whole crop of capable youngsters have emerged in the last few years and the pressure is thus off his shoulders. If Ashraful comes good, it will be a huge boost for Shakib, who already has opener Tamim Iqbal in some form.

Tamim is best remembered for brutalising Zaheer Khan in the massive 2007 World Cup upset at Port-of-Spain in 2007, and though he will be facing India on the Test field for the first time, the left-hander is keen to get to grips with his fancied rivals.

Shakib’s big worry is bowling, and this is the one area India will be looking to cash in on. Getting 20 wickets off the under-strength West Indies is one matter. To do the same against India — and on a dusty sub-continental track is another ball-game altogether. If he can motivate his attack enough to rough up the Indians a little, we may have something of a contest on our hands here from the morrow.