October 1, 2024
Bangladesh's head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, expressed disappointment following his team's seven-wicket defeat to India in the truncated Kanpur Test, which lasted only 173.2 overs—the fourth-shortest match in Test history. The loss, marked by a dramatic batting collapse on the fifth day, left the Bangladesh camp reflecting on their performance and the challenges posed by the Indian side.
In a particularly disheartening 21-minute stretch on Tuesday (October 1), Bangladesh lost four key players, including captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shadman Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, and Litton Das, effectively sealing their fate in the match.
Hathurusingha praised India's aggressive approach during the match, stating, “All credit to Rohit and the Indian team for coming up with that approach, and making a match of it. We actually didn't react quick enough to India's approach.” He acknowledged that the defeat was a significant setback for the team, especially after their recent success in Pakistan, and emphasized the need for improvement in their batting performance.
"Our batting was disappointing in this series," he noted. "Some players did well in the last series, but we have not been performing to our potential in the last few series. One reason for the batting struggles was the quality of the opposition; the skill level on display in this series was very high. We are taking a lot of learnings from this. Playing India in India is the toughest assignment."
Despite their previous success against Pakistan, Hathurusingha admitted the challenge of facing India was substantial. “It won’t be a good thing if I attach our feeling into our performance. We didn't get too high on ourselves for winning in Pakistan, so we shouldn't go down too much after this result. We knew what we did well to win in Pakistan, and we know what we couldn't do here to compete with these guys,” he explained.
Reflecting on the team's overall performance, Hathurusingha stated, "I think we were completely outplayed in this series. I saw the difference in skill levels, so we need to improve. Having said that, we didn’t play to our best potential. We are disappointed with it."
Addressing the team's batting strategy, he defended the decision of a player to attempt a reverse sweep against Ravindra Jadeja, saying, “If the defense is getting challenged, it is a strategy to play the reverse sweep if you have practiced hard on the shot.” He noted that individual decisions must align with team strategies, especially on spinning wickets.
Hathurusingha acknowledged the frustrations within the dressing room regarding certain dismissals and the decision-making process during the innings. "What stands out for me is that we lost a wicket when there's been a bowling change. We didn't give ourselves enough time to get used to the new bowler," he remarked.
Regarding Shakib Al Hasan's future in Test cricket, the coach remained noncommittal, stating he had not received confirmation that the star all-rounder would retire after the South Africa series. "As far as I know, he is playing the South Africa series," he said. "You are not getting like-for-like replacement for someone like Shakib."
With the series against India concluded, Hathurusingha emphasized the need for the team to reflect on their performance and make the necessary improvements as they look ahead to future challenges.