Ahead of the two-match Test series against India, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has expressed strong ambitions for his team, aiming to win both matches in the challenging series.
The series will begin on September 19, 2024, at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, followed by the second Test in Kanpur starting September 27.
Bangladesh recently made history by whitewashing Pakistan 2-0 on their home soil, giving them a significant boost. Najmul emphasized the team’s “extra confidence” after their successful series, where they registered a dominant 10-wicket victory in the first Test and won the second match by six wickets.
He said, “It will be a challenging series but we have the extra confidence from the Pakistan series. I guess the whole country has that confidence now.”
Despite acknowledging India’s strength and higher ranking, Najmul remains optimistic about pulling off a win. He stated, “We want to win both Tests, but we have to stick to our process. If we do our job, we can get a good result.”
Najmul stressed that their focus will be on performing well across the five days of each Test match. He added, “We want to play well for five days, that’s our goal. We want to get the result in the last session of the Test match. At that time, the match can go in any direction.”
He also spoke highly of Bangladesh’s balanced bowling attack, which includes both spin and pace options. While admitting their pacers may lack the experience of India’s, Najmul noted that their spin attack is comparable and can perform well in various conditions.
“Our spin attack is close to theirs. They can bowl in any conditions,” Najmul stated, expressing confidence in both their pacers and spinners.
Bangladesh’s aim to secure their first-ever Test victory on Indian soil shows a clear intent to compete aggressively in this series. Their recent performance against Pakistan has fueled optimism, and the team is motivated to challenge India, the top team in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.
Squads:
- India’s Squad:
- Rohit Sharma (C)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- KL Rahul
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Rishabh Pant (WK)
- Dhruv Jurel (WK)
- R Ashwin
- R Jadeja
- Axar Patel
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohammed Siraj
- Akash Deep
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Yash Dayal
- Bangladesh’s Squad:
- Najmul Hossain Shanto (C)
- Mahmudul Hasan Joy
- Zakir Hasan
- Shadman Islam
- Mominul Haque
- Mushfiqur Rahim
- Shakib Al Hasan
- Litton Kumer Das
- Mehidy Hasan Miraz
- Taijul Islam
- Nayeem Hasan
- Nahid Rana
- Hasan Mahmud
- Taskin Ahmed
- Syed Khaled Ahmed
- Jaker Ali Anik
With India’s formidable record at home and Bangladesh’s recent resurgence, the series promises to be an intriguing battle.
