Bangladesh Captain Shanto Warns Team India, Says 'We Will Play to Win Both Matches'

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said his side would look to win both Test matches against India, starting on September 19 in Chennai. The Bangladesh Test team left for Chennai on Sunday afternoon from Dhaka.

After the first Test in Chennai concludes on September 23, the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur will host the second Test between India and Bangladesh from September 27 to October 1. Bangladesh are arriving in India on the back of a historic series 2-0 whitewash against Pakistan.

“It’s definitely going to be a very challenging series for us. After a good series there is definitely an extra confidence in the team, in the people of the country. Every series is an opportunity.”

“We will play to win both matches. The things that matter to win, the process matters… our aim will be to do the work properly. Good results are possible if we do our job properly,” Shanto was quoted as saying to reporters at the airport before the team’s departure for Chennai.

Both Test matches are a part of the ongoing 2023-2025 World Test Championship cycle, where India are on top of the table with 68.52 percentage points, while Bangladesh are at fourth place, with 45.83 percentage points. The last time Bangladesh toured India for a Test series, it was in 2019 when they lost 2-0.

“If you see the ranking, they are much ahead of us. We have been playing well lately. We have had a good series. Our aim will be to play well for five days. The result comes in the last session on the last day. If we play good cricket for five days, there is a chance which team will be a chance for either team to win in the last session,” added Shanto.

Accepting that Bangladesh’s pacers are not as experienced as the Indians, Najmul though stressed that their experienced spinners will cause trouble for the hosts.

“Our spin and pace is in a good frame. But still if you compare the teams, I feel our pacers are relatively less experienced compared to them. Spin wise we are close to them but experience wise I would keep them ahead but our spinners can bowl in any condition and I can say this much – that all the players, whether pacers, spinners or batters, whoever will play, every player will give a hundred percent. The difference can be made when we play as a team,” he said.

When asked about his own goals for the tour, Najmul said: “My personal goal is that Bangladesh team wins and I feel as a batter if I can contribute to the team. The preparation that is required to do that, I have done. The rest lies in the hand of Allah and I will try my best to contribute for the team.”

(With inputs from Agencies)