Assured about his approach and confident about his batting style, Tamim Iqbal plays with freedom and a touch of irreverence. “I understand my game and I always had the belief that I can score against any team. So far among all my knocks, the one today is the best but I am sure many more will come,” Tamim said.
The Bangladesh opener’s 151 nearly ruined India’s plans of complete dominance in the second Test here at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. “I wanted to play positively. They bowled okay, I wouldn’t say that they bowled great but the pitch had eased a bit. It would have helped my team if I had stayed and scored a double hundred. Coach Jamie Siddons kept telling me to play straight and to avoid stupid shots,” he said.
The 20-year-old batsman’s hunger for runs stays undiminished. “You have to play your natural game after taking into account the situation of the team. If the ball is there to be hit, I will hit and I did that today. Players like Virender Sehwag do that,” Tamim said.
The opener said that he trusted his ability against Zaheer Khan’s probing spells. “He was bowling well. There was reverse swing and I have always enjoyed playing against him. It was a good experience,” Tamim said.
Indian coach Gary Kirsten too praised Tamim’s effort. “He is an aggressive player, entertaining to watch but if you are in the opposition, he can cause some damage. It was a good knock,” Kirsten said.
The coach felt that the Indian bowlers lost their way a bit due to over-enthusiasm. “In situations like these when you lead by more than 300 runs, there is a tendency to try and knock out the opposition rather than build the pressure and get the wickets. Zaheer is a good exponent of reverse swing and I am glad he got those two wickets late in the day. If we can get some early wickets on Wednesday morning, it would be nice,” Kirsten said.
With injuries affecting Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh, Kirsten was asked about his team’s probable batting strength in case a second innings effort was required to win the match. A flummoxed coach repeated the question - “How many batsmen do we have?” - and walked away with a smile while perhaps hoping that his bowlers will deliver on the fourth day.
