Bangladesh’s fast bowler Taskin Ahmed believes the bowlers need to be patient in their approach while bowling to the potent Indian team in the first Test match on the flat deck of Chhatogram. Ahmed feels they will need to wait for the opposition’s mistakes rather than go for magic deliveries against India’s batting order.
The Chhatogram pitch is expected to be a featherbed and the fast bowlers are expected to have their work cut out. Bangladesh will face a tough challenge as Taskin Ahmed will be rested for the first Test match whereas there are doubts about the participation of Shakib Al Hasan.
On the other hand, India has a potent batting unit despite the absence of their full-time captain Rohit Sharma, who has been ruled out with a thumb injury.
“Chattogram is a batting paradise in Bangladesh. It has never been easy for fast bowlers here,” Taskin said. “We are improving but we are yet to get favourable wickets. It is usually a batting track.
“If we try to force the issue, it won’t work in our favour. We will leak runs. They are good players, so we have to get the new ball to swing a bit. Maybe get reverse swing with the old ball. We have to try to break their patience. We have to bowl patiently and wait for their mistakes. It won’t be right to say that we want to blow them away.
“Test cricket is always challenging. We have won Tests by taking it to the fifth day, so here too, we have to take the game into the fifth day,” he said.
Ahmed added the conditions shouldn’t matter as they need to be skillful enough in every place in the world and they will look to deliver their best in the Test series against India.
“Fast bowlers ideally want to bowl on green tops. Conditions are not in our hands. We have got slow and flat tracks in South Africa and New Zealand,” said Taskin.
“We have to make ourselves so skillful that we can bowl well on all types of wickets. Great bowlers are also getting five-fors on flat tracks. We have to focus on our self-improvement rather than [look at] conditions. As a pace bowling group, we are hungry for improvement. We are all in it together. Work ethic has improved. This is all we have in our hands. The management is with us, so if our desire remains, we can do better,” he said.
The first Test match starts on Wednesday.
