Published: Jun 14, 2015, 07:08 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 14, 2015, 07:08 PM (IST)
Bangladesh seem to have missed a great opportunity to carry their One-Day International (ODI) form into the Test arena by being completely wasteful during the one-off Test against India. They made one blunder after another throughout the match. Pramod Ananth divulges further into Bangladesh’s poor approach in Tests.
Bangladesh in the shorter format have been a force to be reckoned with in the recent times. They defeated England in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, to make it to the knockout stages of the mega event. They were led bravely by skipper Mashrafe Mortaza in that tournament and had a good mixture of youth and experience as well. READ: India drops to 4th in Test Rankings after Bangladesh Test ends in draw
But they have failed miserably to continue their good run in Tests. They were unlucky with a couple of injuries in the Test, but their team did not look like a unit that can compete against the top teams to win Tests. Mahmudullah was out due to an injury and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim was carrying a finger injury, as a result of which Litton Das was given a debut.
In the two-Test series against Pakistan, they showed with the bat that they can pile on huge runs. The teams from the ODIs are also somewhat different from the Tests. But the Bangladesh management have erred in picking the team in the Test against India. They went in with four spinners and just one frontline fast bowler, which was not such a good idea, regardless of where one plays. READ: Ravichandran Ashwin picks up 10th 5-wicket haul in Tests during India vs Bangladesh one-off Test at Fatullah
Bangladesh might have secured a draw against a team way above them but it is surely not a time to rejoice for them. They have to work on things that might help them click in the Tests as well. It will not be easy and it will take some time, but they will have to start the process sooner rather than later.
They have found a good bowler in Mohammad Shahid, who has performed exceedingly well in the domestic circuit over the last year. If he is given the right sort of nourishment, he can become a terrific bowler someday. Rubel Hossain too has proved that he can be a threat with the new ball up front. READ: Sourav Ganguly backs Virat Kohli’s decision of picking Rohit Sharma ahead of Cheteshwar Pujara for Fatullah Test
Shakib-Al-Hasan, the ever-reliant all-rounder has been an excellent servant for the nation. They are certainly not short of talent, but they need to find players that have a higher fitness level and bowl consistently in all matches, regardless of which format it is. They could have even given a debut to left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, who made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut recently against Pakistan.
Rubel being dropped for the Test against India was shocking. He had had decent success against India in the recent past and he would have surely made a difference. Taskin Ahmed is another bright prospect and has had a lot of success in ODIs. He has the talent to flourish in Tests as well. READ: Shikhar Dhawan: You will see bigger stands between me and Murali Vijay
Also what one got to see in the Test against India were some poor short selections. For example Mominul Haque came down the track and was intending to smash Harbhajan Singh over the long off fence when he got off to a good start. But he miscued it and the ball fell into the hands of the mid-off fielder.
The partnership between him and Imrul Kayes was blossoming and India were desperate to get rid of them. The kind of shot he played was not required in that situation. On a turning wicket, Soumya Sarkar kept playing drives against Harbhajan and Ashwin and was beaten outside off more often than not. He did not learn and was eventually caught behind off Ashwin. READ: Virat Kohli lauds team’s efforts against Bangladesh
Bangladesh must not be afraid to experiment. Only through experimentation will they figure out the best combination for them. They must not be afraid to bringing in bowlers, who have had some success in the shorter formats as well. The must also dig deep into their domestic circuit and encourage upcoming talents too.
Bangladesh have to realise that regardless of how many runs they score, they will need 20 wickets to win a Test match. As of now, they have good batsmen in the form of Shakib, Tamim Iqbal, Kayes, Mushfiqur and others. It’s their bowling that is often letting them down. Their lack of application and the will to win will take them absolutely nowhere and must learn from their past experience.
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
