Coach Chandika Hathurusingha expects Soumya Sarkar to ride the confidence wave © AFP
Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, want his batsmen to chip in and complement those who go on to make bigger scores to help sustain momentum as their maiden Test on Indian soil progresses. In their previous two Tests, in New Zealand, only Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur managed scores of substance. In the second Test in Christchurch, they were bowled out for 286 after putting up a commendable show in the series opener in Wellington.
“There’s no room for making 50s, 60s or 70s in Test cricket,” Mushfiqur said. “I know they have the ability, and I am pretty sure they can play big innings. You can have two big innings but three or four other batsmen also have to chip in. It always helps to get to a big total. Otherwise it becomes difficult for any team.”
Bangladesh’s batsmen have also been inconsistent within a single Test – batting well in one innings and poorly in the other. Chandika Hathurusingha, the head coach, believes lack of concentration among the batsmen has stemmed from the reduced number of Tests – they have played just nine Tests in the last two years. In comparison, India are already through with the same number of Tests in the current season alone.
“There is a problem but I don’t think it is insecurity,” Hathurusingha said. “It is probably the concentration factor. We haven’t played five-day cricket for long time, which is another issue. We can only improve by playing more five-day cricket. For the batters to concentrate for a long time and play under pressure, that’s what we need them to expose them to.”
Chief among those who are posing a concern for the Bangladesh management is Mahmudullah who has been consistent in the limited-overs formats, but hasn’t been able to translate the same consistency at the Test level.
“The problem is, he is not scoring runs. He is experienced, and has done well in other formats. It is a concern but it is another opportunity for him to show what he can do,” said Hathurusingha. “Previous failures can affect you, which is a challenge for him. It is a tough terrain here but I am hoping he will come through.”
But he was more confident about Soumya Sarkar who as a stopgap opener in Christchurch, batted beautifully before falling for 86. Soumya was one of the breakout players during Bangladesh’s 2015 successes, but had fallen into a form dip for more than a year. Hathurusingha said that they want Soumya to think positively to get the most of him.
“Good thing is that he is in form and confidence is up,” he said. “When someone is in form, their thought process is very clear. We hope that he will hang on to that thought process for long. He is a very talented player. It is a matter of taking away those daemons from his head. I hope he continues to impress.”
The emotional quotient is also a factor within the Bangladesh team. They have shown tendencies to drop or lift their energy levels disproportionately, and to avoid this in the Hyderabad Test, itself a historic occasion, Hathurusingha hopes they can channel their emotional side to perform better.
“We are all humans and we get emotional. How you control emotions is the best thing. If you use the emotion in a good way, by helping you performing better, I am all for it,” he said. “That’s one thing you see from the Indian captain [Virat Kohli]. He uses it to his advantage. The more you play, you can use emotion in a positive way.”
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo