India Tests a test for NCL
With a tour of India, which consists of a three-match T20I series followed by a two-match Test series, set to begin from November 3, the 21st edition of the National Cricket League (NCL) starting tomorrow will be of immense value to Bangladesh national players as the domestic four-day competition could be ideal preparation for the demanding tour.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) selector Habibul Bashar had informed that the players in the T20I squad will feature in the first two rounds of NCL while Test players will play in the first three rounds before going to India.
It does not require a cricket expert to see that Bangladesh -- who are coming off a humiliating Test defeat to newbies Afghanistan at home -- will face a very stiff challenge against top-ranked India. That the two-Test series will be Bangladesh's first foray into the ICC Test Championship will add an extra layer of pressure.
Pitches in the subcontinent typically favour spin bowling and it is a line of attack that the Tigers often rely upon in these conditions, but in India they may well be faced with some variation on that theme.
The first Test of the ongoing three-Test series between India and South Africa saw pacer Mohammad Shami run riot on the final day -- bagging a fifer -- after Ravichandran Ashwin had bagged a seven-for in the first innings.
Although it was just one match, the versatility in India's bowling will almost certainly mean that the Bangladesh batsmen have to tackle skillful and incisive bowling. The Tigers, who failed miserably against the spin prowess of Afghanistan at home last month, will need to tune up and work on shortcomings in the three NCL matches before the India tour.
Bashar, a former Bangladesh skipper, said that according to his experience, India will not be welcoming the Tigers with a traditional spinning track.
"Speaking from experience, it won't be the usual spinning tracks [in India]. As far as my experience goes, I think they will instead be making a seamer-friendly track for the Tests," Bashar, who was unwilling to disclose any specific plans for the tour, told The Daily Star yesterday.
And if Bashar's words hold true, Bangladesh, who only have orthodox spinners, would need to work on their strengths if they are to make any impact in the Indian conditions. Taijul Islam has the knack of bowling in the right areas; Mehedi Hasan Miraz enjoys himself on pitches that offer turn and skipper Shakib Al Hasan excels by reading the batsmen. All three frontline spinners, however, will have to be able to work out how to get top-class batsmen out on wickets that may not be tailor-made for them.
The BCB had made all the right noises about making sporting wickets for the NCL, ensuring the participation of national players and raising fitness levels. How effective these measures are will be revealed when Bangladesh square off against India in whites next month.
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