HYDERABAD: Bangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan felt that the morning session on Sunday would be the most crucial and hoped the team doesn’t lose too many wickets.
“I think that session will decide the fate of the match. We have to bat really well,” Shakib told the media here on Saturday evening. “For us, it is still a long way in this Test as India is on the front foot right now. We have to really bat well,” he reiterated.
“Umesh [Yadav] bowled really well in the morning today, moving the ball both ways. I needed to be positive and use soft hands quite often to counter him,” said Shakib.
He, however, was not pleased with his dismissal and said, “I am not happy with it. You must have seen I was playing my shots. It is bad luck that one shot did connect.”
On Mushfiqur Rahim’s ability to come good with the tail quite often, Shakib said that the skipper loves such challenging situations. “He likes to get involved in everything. He had to be patient today for he needed this half-century, coming as it did after a long gap. He did perfectly what the team needed today.”
Shakib also added that there was no advice to Mushfiqur to give up wicket-keeping and focus on batting. “He loves to do both and that is good for the team too. He shows a lot of character. It is not good for him or for the team if he keeps the wicket-keeping gloves away.”
Meanwhile, India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar didn’t believe that R. Ashwin struggles on pitches which don’t offer assistance.
“I don’t think so. If you look at the last five Tests, the bowlers have done an exceptional job even when they had to bowl first,” Bangar said.
“There is always a reversal of roles for the Indian bowlers. If we go abroad, it is the pacers who are expected to be dominant and back home it is the spinners. But the small contributions by pacers at home in the recent wins are equally important,” he added.
“Each fast bowler is different. Umesh, I think, is the most improved. He can move both ways and is good both at the start of the innings and mid-way through. Ishant [Sharma] bowls mostly back of the length while Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] is more conventional. But all of them have been playing a major role,” added Bangar.
“Credit should be given to Virat [Kohli] and Anil [Kumble] for the way they are developing the bowling attack which should be good in all conditions,” Bangar said.
“The Indian batsmen have always set a benchmark for themselves and have been in quest of excellence. The best part is that they always put the team’s requirements ahead of their personal milestones,” added Bangar.
