The cricket world is observing the rise of erstwhile “minnows” Bangladesh in international cricket. A well planned mechanism is in place to produce young cricketers from every nook and corner of the country. Bangladesh needs a strong bench strength to compete with the biggies of international cricket over the next few years. Bangladesh have already created a buzz in international cricket after whitewashing New Zealand in a three match home ODI series in November 2013. Later, in the world cup they yielded a spectacular performance that their predecessor never thought about, appearing in the quarterfinal in the world cup Down Under for the first time. With India series to start on Wednesday, 10th June, following an impressive performance in all formats against Pakistan Bangladesh will be upbeat against. Before the match kickoff tomorrow we focus on five cricketers who could spoil India’s party.
Know your Rivals:
Soumya Sarkar: The left handed batsman who recently scored a century against Pakistan in ODI series could surprise Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh as he has habit to stand up tall and take a long stride to spinners, he also uses his hand-eye coordination quite well against the fast bowlers. Bangladesh selectors for the first time called him for Test debut against Pakistan.
Soumya scored 164 runs in the world cup from six games. But most important aspect about the Satkhira boy is his recent statement about the series against India; he says Bangladesh will start as “favourite” against India. “To me Bangladesh are favourite. If we can continue our good form, then good result should come our way. Everybody can be in form. But it’s a field game. The result will be in favour of those who play better in field,” he said. So, it will be interesting to see his duel with the Indian bowlers and if he can live up to the pre-series talk.
Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury: A right-hand batsman and medium-pace bowler made a debut against West Indies in 2014 in Kingstown Test and is a product of National Cricket Academy of Bangladesh. He is known for his solid technique and aggressive approach against the fast bowlers. His last Test appearance was in the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan. Though his performance was little impressive, he could rise to the occasion at any time. The 28 years old medium pacer, however, has only 8 wickets from 6 matches till now to his name. The medium pacer of small town of Mymensing will be keen to put an impressive show against India in the coming series.
Litton Das: The wicketkeeper batsman of Dinajpur district of Bangladesh benefitted from his domestic performance where he topped the national runs chart with 1024 runs from seven matches. Selector Faruque Ahmed called him for Pakistan Test series for his sparkling batting show throughout the domestic season, though he did not made the final cut (i.e. place in the XI) against Pakistan. However, the 21 year old is a hope for Bangladesh as he has outstanding season to his credit he could surprise India with his stroke play if the team management decide to give him the Test hat.
Mohammad Shahid: The 26 year medium pacer from Narayanganj district of Bangladesh has impressed Bangladesh selectors with his impressive medium pace. On his debut series against Pakistan he scalped five wickets in two Tests. “Mohammad Shahid is a strong lad capable of bowling long spells and he has been a consistent performer in first class games.” Selector Farque Ahmed justified his selection in the Pakistan Test series. In the one-off Test against Bangladesh team management would not like to discard the in-form medium pacer. He, in turn, would like to grab another opportunity to mark his presence in international cricket.
Taijul Islam: The Natore born slow left- arm orthodox bowler has already made his presence felt in the international arena with 35 wickets from seven Test Matches. Against West Indies in Kingstown in 2014 he rattled their bating line up with four wickets in his very first innings of Test debut. Talking about his recent performance he took four wickets, including the wicket of Younis Khan in the second innings, in Dhaka Test against Pakistan. In only his third Test against Zimbabwe in Mirpur he took 8 for 39 is best by a Bangladeshi bowler in Test cricket. Against the same opponent he took a hat-trick, becoming the first Bangladeshi bowler to take hat-trick on ODI debut. On turning Bangladeshi pitches how Virat Kholi and Co. handle him will be an interesting matter to watch.
