Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto is urging his team to remain focused on the present and not dwell on their recent series victory over Pakistan as they prepare to face a formidable Indian side in the opening Test starting Thursday.
Despite their impressive 2-0 away win against Pakistan, Shanto emphasized the importance of adaptability and process in order to overcome a quality team like India. “We played very good cricket against Pakistan, but that’s in the past,” he said. “We’re here to play a new series, and we believe we can play very good cricket. We’re not thinking about the outcome, but just trying to follow our processes.”
While conditions may vary, Shanto believes that facing a team like India, with its world-class players, requires a focus on their own strengths rather than external factors. “They’re a very quality side,” he said. “We’re not thinking about the condition or the opponents. We’re just thinking about ourselves.”
One of Bangladesh’s key players to watch will be pacer Nahid Rana, who impressed with a match-haul of five wickets in the second Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan. However, Shanto stressed that he will not rely solely on any individual player. “He’s very exciting, but I won’t put my entire focus on any individual player,” he said. “All the fast bowlers did a great job in Pakistan, and I hope they’ll do something good here.”
Bangladesh has often found themselves in winning positions in white-ball cricket and even in Test matches against India, but have failed to close out games. Shanto believes that the team has gained experience and emotional control in recent years. “We’re not getting too emotional,” he said. “We’re thinking about our game, not what will happen if we lose or win. We’re just trying to give 100% every single match.”
Despite the potential dominance of spin on the Chepauk pitch, Shanto expressed confidence in Bangladesh’s spin and pace attack. “We have a very experienced spin-bowling attack,” he said. “But we also have very good pace bowlers. I’m not thinking too much about spin or pace bowling.”
Ultimately, Shanto believes that adaptability will be key to success. “As far as the wicket is concerned, it will be a good wicket,” he said. “We will try to adapt to the wicket as soon as possible.”
