Bangladesh skipper Najmul Shanto has encouraged his team to perform well in the upcoming two-match Test series against India, starting from September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Recently, the Tiger Banglas have outplayed Pakistan 2-0 away from home and would be looking to give a strong challenge to India. While taking part in the pre-match press conference, Shanto said his team does not count on emotions anymore as they have matured over the years.
“I think in the last 10-15 years, most of the players have gained experience. Of late, players aren’t getting too emotional. In the last couple of years, I felt we have been better at controlling our emotions. We are Thinking about our game, not about what will happen if we lose or win. That’s why it looks calm and follows every single plan.
“I think we played very good cricket against Pakistan, which gives us a lot of confidence. But that is in the past,” he told reporters during the pre-match press conference.
“We are here to play a new series, and the dressing room believes we can play very good cricket. We are not thinking about the outcome, but just trying to follow our processes,” said the skipper.
India and Bangladesh have always harbored fierce animosity. The antagonistic interaction between the opposing fan bases during the 2016 Asia Cup, when Bangladeshi fans created a derogatory banner featuring Taskin Ahmed clutching MS Dhoni’s head. Bangladesh hasn’t been able to threaten the Indian team, nevertheless, in recent years.
“I think they (India) are a very quality side. We know they have covered all the bases, like batting, bowling, and fielding. But we are not thinking about the conditions or the opponents. We are just thinking about ourselves,” Shanto said.