Tigers analyse India
Preparations for the India series notched up a gear at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday as the cricketers spent the morning session in a meeting discussing the specific details of their opponents.
According to the team management, yesterday was the first time that the players got an opportunity to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of India in detail and it also gave an idea regarding the kind of strategy that the Tigers are likely to use in the Test at Fatullah which begins from June 10 onwards.
The Tigers are yet to finalise their playing eleven and there could be several strategies to ponder upon. For one, they are likely to use leg-spinner Jubair Hossain in this Test. The selectors initially weren't interested in Jubair. However, it was only after the coach and the captain recommended the leg-spinner that they decided to put him in the squad of 14.
If Jubair does play, that would mean that the Tigers would have to reorganise their spin-attack. It could come down to a choice between Jubair and off-spinner Shuvagata Hom. The other aspect that they will be pondering upon is regarding Mushfiqur Rahim's keeping.
The skipper is expected to practice keeping with soft balls in at the Khan Shaheb Osmani Stadium in Fatullah today, where the Tigers will begin training in the morning. However, the chances of Mushfiqur keeping in the lone Test aren't that high. In which Litton Kumar Das will have to make his Test debut in Fatullah.
A talented top order batsman, Litton had scored more than a 1000 runs in the recently concluded National Cricket League and has been among the runs. While he was selected for the Test series against Pakistan as well, he didn't get an opportunity in playing eleven. With Mushfiqur's yet to recover completely from his finger injury, Litton can hope for a different experience this time around. Mahmudullah Riyad's exclusion from the side due to a finger injury has made that option a lot more probable.
The wicket at Fatullah is expected to be a batsman's paradise. Several members from Bangladesh's contingent, including chief selector Faruque Ahmed and opener Imrul Kayes, in various press conferences in the last few days said that they were hoping for a batting track that would help them achieve a draw against India.
Bangladesh have a poor track record against India in Tests. Out of seven matches, India have won six, with the only draw taking place in Dhaka back in 2007 in a rain-affected Test match.
The Tigers managed to draw a Test against Pakistan in the last series in Khulna and the team management will be hoping that the wicket in Fatullah behaves in a similar way.
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