Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan shared on Thursday that improving their first-inning batting will help them do well against India in the Kanpur Test. However, India beat Bangladesh by 280 runs in the opening Test at Chennai and a major factor in that defeat was their 149 all out in their first innings in response to India’s 376 as well.
“I think in patches we played really well in Chennai, but finishing the match in three and a half days isn’t ideal for us,” Shakib Al Hasan told reporters in Kanpur on Thursday. “We felt like we are a better team than that. Tomorrow we have another opportunity, and we need to show our potential in tomorrow’s match. If I talk about batting only, there was improvement from the first innings to the second. In the first innings we were bowled out for 150, but in the second innings we scored around 250. In the next Test match, if we can score 350 or thereabouts, that will be a huge improvement. Scoring 350 to 400 in the first innings will give us a lot of confidence and boost our team.”
However, Shakib Al Hasan also mentioned that their maiden Test series win over Pakistan was due to the difference in experience between the two teams as well, but they also added that the same doesn’t apply to India.
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“I think Pakistan is a relatively young and inexperienced team. If you look at the matches they’ve played and compare it to our team, we have more experience, and in Test cricket, that’s a massive factor,” Shakib said. “If I talk about India, they are the number one team at the moment and are probably unbeatable at home. They are doing well outside as well, but at home, they are unbeatable. Any country finds India difficult, and we are no different. Having said that, we have to play really well to show the fight we feel we can put up. I think India is the toughest tour these days. Other teams may lose one or two games, but we hardly see India losing Tests.”
However, he also mentioned that they aren’t too concerned about the pitches, as playing against a strong team like India means the result will depend more on skill and execution than on conditions as well.
“Pitches don’t matter much against teams like England, Australia, and India. They obviously have weapons to attack us – quality batsmen, fast bowlers, and spinners. I don’t think the pitch will have any effect. We just have to perform better than we did in Chennai,” Shakib Al Hasan concluded.
