While acknowledging that India has a stronger Test team than Pakistan, Shoriful Islam expressed optimism that Bangladesh may do well in the two-match Test series against Rohit Sharma‘s team, which begins next week.
Earlier this month, Bangladesh made history by defeating Pakistan in a Test series for the first time. The host team was completely destroyed by Najmul Hossain Shanto and Co. in the two Tests that were played in Rawalpindi. Shoriful did concede, though, that defeating India in India will be a very different story. The left-arm seamer is aware, though, that a strong showing against the two-time World Test Championship (WTC) winners will give the Bangla Tigers a huge boost.
“India has more Test cricket experience than Pakistan does. India is a formidable squad, and I have no doubt that if we win against them, everyone will be watching and paying attention to us. We will be content if we can succeed in India. We are putting in a lot of effort and are hoping for favourable outcomes,” Shoriful told Bangladesh Cricket.
We had a respectable series against Pakistan, so we try to start with a victory.
We will work hard and capitalise on everyone’s optimism, the 23-year-old continued. For the current cycle, India is ranked first in the WTC points table. With a victory over their neighbours, they want to strengthen their position. Bangladesh, meanwhile, rose to the fourth position on the points table following an incredible tour of Pakistan. They intend to carry on from Rawalpindi, where they left off.
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On Thursday, September 19, the first Test match between India and Bangladesh is scheduled to take place at Chennai’s renowned MA Chidambaram Stadium. The second Test, meanwhile, is set to begin on September 27 at Green Park in Kanpur.
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