Dhaka – Leaving all the off-field controversies behind, Bangladesh national cricket team have started gearing up in India ahead of their three-match T20I and two-match Test series against the hosts. The Mahmudullah Riyad-led Bangladesh T20 squad held their first practice session at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday.
Before flying for India, Bangladesh had to struggle to find a replacement of Shakib Al Hasan, who was handed a ban for two years for failing to report corrupt approaches to the respective authorities.
The selection panel, led by Minhajul Abedin, named Taijul Islam as the replacement of Shakib, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed Mahmudullah as the captain of Bangladesh T20 team for this series.
At the same time, selectors named wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Mithun and left-arm pacer Abu Hider Rony to replace Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Saifuddin.
Tamim withdrew from the series citing personal reasons while Saifuddin was ruled out due to a back injury.
Bangladesh will surely miss the service of these players who were the integral part of the team in limited-over cricket.
Right before flying for India, Mahmudllah, the stand-in captain, told the media that they will miss the presence of Shakib. “We know how important Shakib is for our team. But still we have to play better cricket in India on their own soil. We’re upbeat about coming up with a better brand of cricket.”
The first T20 of the series will take place in Delhi on November 3 while the remaining matches will be played respectively in Rajkot and Nagpur on November 7 and 19.
Before this series, Bangladesh faced India in eight T20Is and failed to win any of them. India are currently placed at number five in the T20 team rankings while Bangladesh are at nine. So, it will not be an easy affair for the Tigers.
Right after the T20Is, both teams will lock horns in two Tests. While first Test will be played at Indore from November 14, the second one will be hosted by Kolkata from November 22, which will be a day-night affair. Neither Bangladesh nor India have played a day-night Test before. UNB
