Hyderabad: Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has exhorted his players to give out their best in their maiden Test on Indian soil to make a world statement that the side is ready for more cricket at the highest level.
“If we make the most of this opportunity and get good results, then we will get more tours,” he said on Wednesday. Rahim then came up with an earnest appeal. “Test cricket is the best learning curve. And we will improve if we play more and more.”
Excerpts
On the Test: Playing in India is really a great occasion for us. The boys are really excited to be playing against the No.1 team in the world. It is our great opportunity to show character and skills. We are aware of how strong India are on their home soil. Hopefully the bowlers can execute our plans and will be backed up by our fielders so that we can create, grab the chances and take the game to the fifth day. We need to keep momentum with us and stay in the game longer.
On his batsmen: Any batsman in the top seven is responsible for starting well and building on starts. If they can get starts, they should be able to play a long innings. At the same time, no one player can score big if he doesn't get support. So two-three players should score big and the others must score 30-40 to support them. They are training and working hard, hopefully it will happen in this Test.
On the wicket: The pitch is quite hard, it's great for batting and pacers will get help early on and the spinners will get good bounce. It’s a pretty good wicket and the ball will turn from day three or even earlier. Our pacers have done well but I want more from them and believe they can do better. If we can show some skill, we can make it difficult for their batsmen.
