Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha believes Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mushfiqur Rahim should take responsibility for the upcoming Bangladesh tour of India 2024.
Bangladesh has won only eight tests of 67 matches on tour, four of them have come since 2021 and the most recent two were from their Pakistan tour. Bangladesh secured a historic win against Pakistan securing a 2-0 clean sweep.
Hathurusingha serving his second stint as the Bangladesh head coach said that the visitors have an idea of their pluses and minuses before facing India, who haven’t lost a test series at home over the last 12 years.
He said that playing under pressure will force the side to perform well. “[The win in Pakistan] certainly gives us a lot of confidence coming into this series,” said Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha.
“Not because of the outcome of the series, the way we played that series, the way we handled certain situations, we were behind the game in both Test matches and then how we come back and then the people who contribute at different times give us a lot of belief for this series.”
Bangladesh’s squad has been filled with a lot of young players who could play an important role in victory.
“Shakib [has] always played a huge part in Bangladesh cricket whenever he is available and playing well,” Hathurusingha said.
“I mean obviously he gives us the luxury to balance the team the way we want, whether we want to play extra bowlers or extra batsmen because of his all-round capabilities. So he gives that adaptability as well as a huge experience.
“He is probably one of the longest international players going around and then he is coming from playing countless matches and he is in good shape. So he brings a lot into the team, not only his skill set but otherwise as well.
“And, Miraz, I would say he is the most improved Bangladesh cricketer for the last five to six years. He is ready to take over whenever Shakib moves out. I think he has developed his batting and obviously, his bowling has always been, his strength, his No.1. Now I think he has improved his batting as well and on the field, he is a gun fielder.”
The success of any team in India depends on their ability to cope with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Bangladesh will rely on Mushfiqur, who was typically meticulous with his preparations in Chennai, practicing various kinds of sweeps against the off-spin and the left-arm spinning net bowlers that he trained with.
“I think Mushfiq actually mentioned to me his record on the way to India on the flight. He said, I average 55 coach, you forget about that,” Hathurusingha said.
“He is a phenomenal player and for a long time the way he prepared, I haven’t seen anyone prepare that much detail-wise. So the one I haven’t seen is probably Sachin Tendulkar…something like that. Close to all the reports that I have read about him, Mushfiq is like that. He is just a professional, a thorough professional when it comes to cricket.”
Bangladesh has played three tests in India and lost all three. Hathurusingha believes is hopeful they will present a stiffer challenge this time around.
“I think this is probably the most well-rounded team that Bangladesh has produced in my previous time and this time,” he said.
“We’re covering a lot of bases, we’ve got good fast bowlers, we’ve got a really experienced spin attack and then the batting, we actually have good depth because of two reasons.
“One is that two of our spinners [Shakib and Mehidy] are genuine batters who got Test hundreds and then two of our wicketkeepers [Litton Das and Mushfiqur] are our main batters. So our balance of the team in this series is really, really good and that gives us actually a lot more confidence that we can be competitive in this series.”
The first test between India and Bangladesh will be played between September 19 and 23 at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
