Captain Rohit Sharma on Tuesday warned his India team there is "no dress rehearsal" in cricket as they face a Bangladesh side fresh from a historic Test series win over Pakistan.India lead the World Test Championship (WTC) standings ahead of Australia, where Rohit's team will tour for a five-match series later in the year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But first they host Bangladesh in a two-Test series, starting with the opener in the northern Indian city of Chennai from Thursday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India are clear favourites but the visitors recently celebrated a landmark 2-0 series sweep in Pakistan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"There is no dress rehearsal kind of stuff happening here," Rohit told reporters, cautioning against minds turning too quickly to Australia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Every game is important because of what is at stake -– the WTC table is quite wide open," Rohit added. "We want to win here, and start the season on a high."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The skipper added: "In terms of preparation, in terms of readiness, I feel we are quite ready for this game, and what lies ahead of us."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India's last Test series was at home earlier this year when they beat England 4-1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India won the T20 World Cup in June, their first International Cricket Council title in 11 years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But there was "no way" his players would "relax and sit back" as a result, the 37-year-old Rohit said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Us cricketers, we have got limited time to play the game, to make an impact in the sport that we play," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India will host New Zealand for three Tests in October and November, before travelling to Australia, the current World Test champions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Every team likes to beat India. Let them have fun," said Rohit of a Bangladesh team on a high after their first win over Pakistan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n