'Not worried about being in limelight'
Taijul Islam, who spun Bangladesh to their maiden home Test win over New Zealand in Sylhet, spoke with The Daily Star's Mazhar Uddin, where he opened up about his views on getting overshadowed by his more prominent teammates and gave his two cents about the use of home advantage in home Tests. The excerpts are given below:
The Daily Star (DS): The just concluded New Zealand series was a memorable one for you.
Taijul Islam (TJ): To be honest, yes, it was a good one for me but it would have been great if we could win the series. Overall, I can say I have gained a lot yet at the same time I got to learn a lot of things from this series. I think as a team it was also an important series where a bunch of young players showed what they are capable of. Maybe we weren't able to win the series but it will give the belief to the youngsters going forward.
DS: How did it feel as a bowler to get a 10-wicket haul in a sporting pitch in Sylhet and winning that Test?
TJ: The Sylhet track was a sporting one as there was something on offer for both batters and bowlers. As a bowler, it was a challenge and I was up for it. It is important as a bowler to read the surface and also play with the mind of the batter. It feels great to be able to contribute to the teams' win and I would also like to add that the other bowlers like Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan and even Shoriful Islam gave good support and it was a total team effort.
DS: Did you have a different role as a bowler in the New Zealand series in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan?
TJ: It's not about the role, it's about how capable you are to execute the plan of the team. So it's important to know what you are capable of and are you able to follow the teams' plan. When you are able to do your job, you will automatically fit into a role. I have said this previously that since I have been playing for Bangladesh for a long time, I really feel now is the time to give something back to the team as there's no point of this experience if I am not able to win matches for my team.
DS: Whenever Shakib is absent in a Test, you get asked whether the team will miss his presence. Do you feel overshadowed by this line of questioning?
TJ: Look, the media tends to focus on getting more views. Since Shakib bhai is not playing, I don't know why his name keeps popping up when he is not even in the team. For example, Sachin Tendulkar is no longer playing for India or Wasim Akram is not playing for Pakistan. Aren't those teams playing without him and winning matches? It's just like that.
DS: So, do you feel you are finally in the limelight now since your performance is helping Bangladesh win matches?
TJ: I am not worried or thinking about being in the limelight. When my team will benefit from my performance, I will automatically get everyone's attention. The thing is nowadays every media looks for big names. I don't know if the media really analyses and checks the stats about my bowling since the number of views are more important for them.
DS: Despite being a prolific performer in Tests, you do not feature in Bangladesh's limited-over formats regularly. Do you feel you have a lot to give in the other formats as well?
TJ: Definitely. By the grace of the almighty I have done well in white-ball formats whenever I was given the opportunity. But I don't know what the team's plan is. If the team requires my services, I am always available to play for my country. I am always prepared for that. Every player wants to play in all the formats but I can't go and ask everyone to give me a chance..(smiles).
DS: We always say that Bangladeshi spinners are successful at home but are unable to make an impact when they tour abroad. What is the reason behind this?
TJ: Look, a lot depends on the sort of pitch we get abroad. Since there is hardly anything for the spinners on those surfaces, the team is forced to play just one spinner. If there's grass on the surface, spinners can come into the game on the third or fourth day of the Test. A spinner won't be able to make a difference if he bowls on the first day of a Test match in Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. When we beat New Zealand at Mount Maunganui, Miraz was the only spinner while our pacers bowled brilliantly. So, in that case Miraz chipped in as a supporting bowler and even picked up a couple of wickets in the second innings. So, it is important we get that support from the pace unit, only then the spinners can also make an impact. This can be the blueprint for us to win abroad. But if we expect the spinners to pick wickets abroad on the first or second day of a Test, then it's difficult.
DS: There has been a lot of talk about the rank-turners that are prepared in Mirpur to take home advantage. Don't you feel we should play in sporting tracks to prepare our players for the conditions they face while playing abroad?
TJ: Every team takes home advantage. When we play abroad we need to prepare accordingly. But that doesn't mean we always have to play on sporting pitches at home. We can improve our skills in domestic competitions by playing on sporting pitches. You don't play Tests just to compete, you play to win and we wanted to win the second Test as you can't play for a draw in Mirpur. Look, it was not easy for us in Sylhet but we did well. But when you play in Mirpur, it's always 50-50 and we took that chance.