Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo admits that the structure of his side needs to change to shine in the two-match Test series against India. On a green and bouncy wicket here, the visitor chose not to play a third seamer which is proving suicidal in their maiden World Test Championship campaign.
“It is very hard to play with two seamers. We definitely need to find a third bowling seamer who can bat. There’s Saifuddin [Mohammad] but he is struggling with injuries. But the structure of the team needs attention. I think a lot of teams that play against Bangladesh will prepare good wickets, which won’t spin much. We need to find a seamer who can do a No. 7 or 8 job for us with the bat,” Domingo told reporters after the end of day’s play.
India vs Bangladesh | Scorecard
The Bangladesh team management decided to rest Mustafizur Rahman to play an extra batsman, but the nature of the wicket and Abu Jayed’s fiery form tells a different story. “Hindsight is a great thing. We definitely considered playing three seamers but that leaves us very light with the batting line-up. We probably should have played three seamers but it hasn’t worked out for us.”
Ever since arriving in India, skipper Mominul Haque kept reiterating that it is a misconception that Bangladesh isn’t well-prepared as eight of its players were part of four-day games before the Test series. But Domingo feels the T20I series snatched a bit of focus.
“We had two days with the Test squad before the first Test. A lot of the focus was with the T20 as it was the format taking place first. There hasn’t been a lot of preparation for Test cricket and getting to know some of the players,” he said, while praising skipper Mominul for his composure.
“It is a very inexperienced Test team. It was Mominul’s first day as captain in the field. It is a tough place to be a captain. But he is a calm and composed guy. I am sure he would have learned a great deal today. It is very hard to judge him on one Test match in India after two tough days. He will grow into the job. He has all the right attributes. I think he commands respect as he is such a calm person.”
Domingo feels Bangladesh will take time to excel as a Test unit. “It is obviously a tough one being my second Test match and seeing how guys approach Tests. How they train leading into Test cricket. It is hard for me to say whether guys prefer T20, that you need to ask them. There are definitely players who are more suited to T20s, and some more suited to Tests.
"Bangladesh’s Test record isn’t good. They have won 13 Test wins in 115 matches. If we want to become a serious Test team, we need to make structural changes in the team to ensure performance at home and away. I need to discuss these things with the selectors and captain, and plan a way forward,” said Domingo.
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