Bangladesh's head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, is looking forward to the two-match series against India, noting that his squad will be buoyed by their first-ever 2-0 Test series victory against Pakistan.
The visiting head coach explained that they have all the necessary firepower in three departments to outclass any opponent and that playing against India will provide them with a clear image of their strengths.
“We have got good fast bowlers, we got a really experienced spin attack. And then in batting, we actually have good batting depth because of two reasons. One is that two of our spinners are genuine batters who have got Test hundreds and then two of our wicketkeepers are our main batters. So the batters in our team for this series are really good and that gives us a lot of confidence that we can be competitive in this series,” Hathurusingha said in the press conference.
“Pressure is a privilege. I mean it gives us a lot more belief and something to look forward to as well. But then we really understand where we stand and our strengths and limitation, we understand that. But we are really encouraged by playing the best team in the world. Like coming to India and playing against India, that’s the best challenge you get nowadays in cricket. So playing against the best always gives you the perception of where you stand,” Hathurusingha added.
The former Sri Lankan all-rounder stated that both victories came from behind, providing them a confidence boost ahead of the high-stakes series against the World Test Championship (WTC) leaders.
According to Chandika Hathurusingha, Bangladesh's current red-ball squad is the most balanced the country has ever produced.
“It (the win in Pakistan) certainly gives us a lot of confidence coming into this series. Not because of the outcome of the series, it’s the way we played that series where we handled certain situations. We were behind the game in both Tests and then how we came back and how different people contributed at different times. A lot of belief in this series. I think this is probably the most rounded team that’s produced from Bangladesh,” Hathurusingha said.
Both teams know how important spinners will be in the series, however, they also acknowledge the role of pacers in the two Tests. Hathurusingha credits Bangladesh’s current pace attack as the result of significant effort and gave special praise to rising speedster Nahid Rana.
“The point of difference is the fear factor. I mean when a ball comes at 150kph, it’s very human to require a certain reaction time, so it challenges your reaction and decision-making. So, that’s an advantage when you have someone who can bowl that quickly.
The specialty of Nahid is that he can bowl at 145-plus for a longer (period of time). But he’s played very little cricket, so we have to look after him. That’s an advantage regardless of the pitch and situation that he brings the fear factor to the opposition and especially when the tailenders come, you can wipe them out faster. It’s a long process. It just didn’t happen overnight. Previous coaches before me have done a lot of work and even the board invested in programs at finding fast bowlers,” he said.
“I know the domestic cricket had some rules that you have to keep an amount of grass (for pacers). They changed the ball (in domestic cricket). So all these factors, I think, helped the fast bowlers to enjoy their cricket and have success. And we have a few fast bowlers back home and actually, one of our best bowlers is still injured. So, when all of these guys are available, it’s really pleasing to see the depth we have in fast bowling,” he added.
The first Test between India and Bangladesh begins on September 19 in Chennai, while the second match will be played in Kanpur from September 27 onwards.
(PTI inputs)
