Australia vs Bangladesh 1st Test: When and where to watch in India

Australia will kick off their 2026-27 home season on Thursday when they host Bangladesh for a two-match Test series. The first Test will be played at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin.

This is Bangladesh’s first tour of Australia for a Test series since 2003, which ended with a 2-0 loss to Australia. In that series, led by Khaled Mahmud, Bangladesh suffered defeats in both matches.

The first Test at the same venue in 2003 saw Australia win by an innings and 132 runs. Steve Waugh scored an unbeaten century, and Darren Lehmann made 110 as Australia declared at 407/7. Bangladesh was bowled out for 97 and then 178 in the second innings.

The upcoming series holds significance due to the World Test Championship (WTC). Australia leads the WTC standings with 84 points, while Bangladesh is fourth with 28 points.

Australia’s pace attack, led by Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, will be a key strength. Veteran spinner Nathan Lyon will also play a crucial role. For Bangladesh, Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead the team, supported by Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Litton Das.

Unfortunately, fans in India may not be able to watch the series live as no official broadcaster has been announced yet.

The first Test begins at 6 AM IST (10 AM local time) daily, with the toss scheduled for 5:30 AM IST (9:30 AM local time) on the opening day.

Australia Playing XI: Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (captain), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Bangladesh Squad (First Test): Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (vice-captain), Soumya Sarkar, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Amite Hasan, Jaker Ali, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Musfik Hasan.