Bangladesh captain feels confident before the India Test series

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has revealed that their recent Test successes in Pakistan have added more confidence in the team for the upcoming India tour. 

Bangladesh recently concluded a two-match Test series against the hosts Pakistan. That Test series was a part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship, where Bangladesh concluded the Test series by winning 2-0. Before that Test series, Bangladesh never won a Test match against Pakistan. 

Now, Bangladesh are set to travel to India for a two-match Test series, which is also a part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship. The Test series will begin in Chennai on September 19. 

SEE ALSO: India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill to miss Bangladesh T20 Series

We have the extra confidence from the Pakistan series: Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto

In their 13 Tests against India, Bangladesh lost 11 matches and drew the other two games. Although Bangladesh captain Shanto is aware of the upcoming challenging series against the hosts India, he also admitted the rising confidence in the team due to recent success in Pakistan. 

Shanto said in the pre-departure press conference in Dhaka, "It will be a challenging series but we have the extra confidence from the Pakistan series. I guess the whole country has that confidence now. Every series is an opportunity. We want to win both Tests, but we have to stick to our process. If we do our job, we can get a good result.”

We want to get the result in the last session of the Test match: Najmul Hossain Shanto

In India, Bangladesh have played three Tests and lost all those matches. Shanto wants to fight in the upcoming Test series, while he also believes that the match result can go in any direction if they manage to stretch the Test matches for a longer period.  

Bangladesh captain added, "They (India) are well ahead of us in the rankings. But we did play well recently. We want to play well for five days, that's our goal. We want to get the result in the last session of the Test match. At that time, the match can go in any direction. It is an opportunity [to get our first win in India]. We will play with a win in mind. But we don't want to think too far ahead. We want to do well for five days, and play to our strength. That's most important."

Shanto also pointed out their strong bowling attack. While spinners have huge experience, the pacers are also learning very well. Bangladesh captain believes that all the players will give their 100 percent for the team to achieve brighter results.

Shanto said, "We are in a good place with our bowling attack, both spin and pace. Perhaps our pacers are behind them in terms of experience but our spin attack is close to theirs. They can bowl in any conditions. All I can say is that our pacers, spinners, and batters will give 100%.

"I think we can make a difference only if we play as a team. It is not just the spinners but the pacers and the batters also. The whole team has to play together."

In the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship points table, India are on top and Bangladesh are in the fourth position. 

After the Test series, Bangladesh will also play a three-match T20I series against the hosts India.