Batting wicket in the demand

A glance at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday wouldn't have suggested that the Tigers were in fact getting ready for the one-match Test series against India.

For a moment, in the afternoon, it seemed as though the players practising at the centre wicket were getting ready for a twenty20 contest, competing to see as to who could hit the ball the farthest.

Soumya Sarkar, for one, was definitely enjoying his time in the middle. He went down the track against the likes of Jubair Hossain and Shuvagata Hom and cleared the ropes quite a few times.

His partner Mushfiqur Rahim seemed a lot more sober and worked on perfecting those straight-drives. Every now and then he unleashed that favourite slog sweep of his, crashing the ball onto the side of the net.

On one such occasion though, he missed and the ball hit the stumps. That was followed by a brief stare at his glove; a minute later he went on his merry way drilling the balls down the ground. The Test skipper is still recovering from a finger injury.

Towards the end of the practice session, yesterday evening, opener Imrul Kayes politely explained as to what the players were trying to do.

"The practice wicket was really good. We don't usually get such wickets. The ball came on to the bat well and so we were just trying to play our shots before the series."

The left-hander admitted that the hosts would be a happy unit if they received a similar wicket in Fatullah for the first Test.

"If you ask me, I will always want the wicket to be batting-friendly. In that case both teams can do well and that increases the chances of a draw. As a batsman that's what I want," said Imrul.

The left-hander's urge was understandable. After all, it was on a similarly placid track in Khulna that saw him and Tamim Iqbal race to a record-stand for the opening partnership. It took the Pakistan team by a surprise. Even the most optimistic of Bangladesh's fans didn't expect such a turnaround.

The left-hander -- he also had to keep for more than 120 overs in the absence of the injured Mushfiqur -- whose dedication was lauded following the Test, expects India's bowling attack to be less threatening compared to Pakistan's.

"Pakistan's bowling line-up is a lot more attacking. But as a team India is much more powerful side and we know that we all have to perform our duties responsibly in order to get a desirable result," said Imrul.

The left-hander, who returned to Test cricket in 2014 after a break of two and a half years, has scored three centuries since. While he doesn't have a target for the India series, he hopes he can continue the good run.

When asked as to which team he thought were the favourites for the series, Imrul provided a rather pragmatic answer.

"They are the favourites. We are playing well in all three departments in one-day cricket, but India is a very strong team. If we can play our best game I am sure things can get very interesting," said Imrul.