Najmul Hossain Shanto on Bangladesh’s batting: We’re working, but not getting the desired results

According to captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh eventually paid a price for their top-half collapse in the first innings of the first Test in Chennai, where they played in stages. With more than five sessions remaining, India defeated the visitors by 280 runs. In contrast to their 149 all out first innings, Bangladesh was bowled out for 234 in their second innings. On the second afternoon, they had fallen to 40 for 5, a stretch of play that Shanto feels cost them the match.

According to Shanto, “We didn’t bat well in the first innings”. It was a crucial moment in the match. With at least one [major] top-order partnership, we might have been in a better position. The top order will always find it difficult to perform well, particularly in the opening innings. It’s critical to assess our level of adjustment. Although we are striving for it, the expected outcomes are eluded us.”

In the second effort on the third day, openers Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan added 62 runs, but they were chasing a challenging 515. This gave the top order a small reprieve.

“It is important to spend the time in the wicket but it wasn’t enough [today],” Shanto stated. However, it will be useful for the subsequent test. For the openers to score 62 runs was crucial. In the upcoming Test match, that is one thing we can anticipate.”

Najmul Hossain Shanto concluded with an innings-long total of 82, which included eight fours and three sixes, and his maiden Test fifty.

Though he thinks he could have done much better, that will cheer up the guests. “In these kinds of situations, that’s normally how I bat. My plan was very apparent to me. Everybody, in my opinion, has a different plan. In the upcoming game, I think they (India) will plan differently,” he remarked.

Shanto fared better in the second innings as he adapted to the game’s tempo, in contrast to his uneasy start in the first. On the third afternoon, he attacked R Ashwin because the rough outside his off stump was rather easy. While other players like Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Shakib Al Hasan found it difficult to deal with the Indian bowling, he quickly got his half-century as well, off 55 balls.

Throughout his Test career, Shanto has had an all-or-nothing scoring style. He has been removed from the game on 32 occasions between the scores of 0 and 19, and on 14 occasions in the 20s and 30s, during his 57 innings. He has also made many fifty years seem like aeons.

Prior to this test, he reached his century each time he crossed the seventies. The first time he was dismissed in the eighties in a Test match was with a score of 82 in Chennai.

On day four, with Bangladesh at 158 for 4, Shanto found Mohammed Siraj difficult to work with. After a few maiden overs, he only managed to get Siraj out for a pulled four in the 46th over.

“Today’s morning workout was challenging. Siraj’s bowling style. Each of them was bowling really well. Shakib did well at bat, too. We made an effort to support the team. For as long as we could, we tried to bat. One thing that went well today was the morning session. After then, we didn’t bat well,” Shanto remarked.

The partnership between Shakib and Shanto was interrupted when India captain Rohit Sharma introduced Ashwin, who had previously claimed three wickets on the third day. This led to the collapse of six wickets for 40 runs.

“I felt like hitting the ball today was pretty difficult. They were playing rough bowling. I don’t want to make light of it. Shanto, who was the eighth wicket to fall but by then the writing was on the wall, stated, “These are challenges we have to take.”

On the third day, Bangladesh’s openers had earlier recovered with a promising performance. Both Zakir and Shadman got off to a fast start, maintained their composure in the opening exchanges, and provided a straighter bat to the ball, much as they did in Rawalpindi during the second Test against Pakistan. However, as was the case in Rawalpindi, both collapsed after establishing a strong foundation.

On the third day, batting coach David Hemp stated that the openers are still working on their starts at the crease, despite Shanto’s declaration that he wants them to play their “natural game”.

“It goes without saying that you need to start well and once you have faced 20 or 30 balls, you get a bit of idea of what’s happening,” Hemp said. “After scoring thirty or forty runs, especially, you want to keep going. Make sure you reap the rewards for all your hard work. In Pakistan, we completed it in patches.

“In practice, we will continue to work on it. Since we haven’t done it well enough, we must first admit ourselves. Going back to March [when we played Sri Lanka], we weren’t doing good enough. Thus, we’re becoming better at that now. However, you should ideally bat 120 balls once you reach 40–60 balls. You’ll receive a justifiable payout after doing that.”

Also Read: ‘Make a living by bowling, so bowling comes first’ – comparison between Ashwin’s century vs six against Bangladesh

The only two parts of their batting that will offer Bangladesh some optimism on their way to Kanpur are the openers’ mini-fightback and Shanto’s knock. However, until they make the necessary corrections, the top-half’s utter collapse in the opening innings will haunt them. It will take a few batters to step up. If not, Bangladesh might be facing extinction once more.