IND-BAN 2nd Test Match: Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan said on Thursday that the better first-inning batting will be the key to the success of his team in the Test against India, which gets underway in Kanpur on September 27.
Shakib admitted that Bangladesh have a lot of work to do as they suffered a 280-run defeat against India in the first Test in Chennai, where they managed only 149 runs in their first innings. “In patches, we played quite well in Chennai, but finishing the match in three and a half days wasn’t ideal for us,” Shakib said after meeting the press. “We believe we are a better team than that. Tomorrow gives us the next chance to show that.”
Reflecting on his team’s performance, Shakib said that “we improved from the first to the second innings-scoring around 250 runs in the second after just 150 in the first. If we can score 350 or more in this Test, it would be a great boost to our confidence and our team.”.
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Compares Test Series With Pakistan’s Tour
Shakib went on to compare their performance against India with their historic Test series victory over Pakistan, drawing a difference on the levels of experience involved. “Pakistan is a relatively young and inexperienced team. Our team has more experience, which is important in Test cricket,” Shakib said. “Now, India is the number one team and is very tough to beat at home. They are consistent performers, so it becomes a very tough place for any opposition to play.”
Shakib is honest enough to give India a tough tag by saying, “It’s tough to tour India these days. Other teams might lose one or two games, but rarely do you see India losing Tests at home.”
Though he feels the pressures of playing in India, Shakib cannot help but concentrate on performance rather than pitch conditions. “When it comes to playing against top teams like India, England, or Australia, the quality of play matters more than the pitch. They have strong batsmen and skilled bowlers, so we need to improve our execution and skills to perform better than we did in Chennai.”
The advent of the Kanpur Test makes Shakib’s words more relevant than ever as Bangladesh needs a stunning batting performance to showcase the best against one of the toughest teams in the game.
SHAKIB AL HASAN ANNOUNCES TEST RETIREMENT.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 26, 2024
– Shakib to retire from Test cricket after the Test match against South Africa in Mirpur. pic.twitter.com/g4DTAkxF9v
