Bangladesh batsmen need to handle India's quality spinners: Mushfiqur Rahim

Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim during a training session on eve of the India Test

Bangladesh are looking for their first Test win against India, having lost six and drawn one of their seven Tests so far, but captain Mushfiqur Rahim appears quietly confident that his side will make things tougher for the visiting side this time around.

"India are a good side, but I still think it is a 50-50 game," Rahim said ahead of the match at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali stadium on the outskirts of Dhaka.

"They have got quality spinners. If our batsman can handle them, I think this will be an exciting Test."

In their previous Test series against Bangladesh in 2010, India won the first match by 113 runs in Chittagong and the second and final game in Dhaka by 10 wickets. In fact, Bangladesh have lost 71 of their 90 Tests since attaining full status in 2000, winning just seven.

"We may have lost both Tests five years ago, but there were some strong individual performances by us," Rahim said. "We have improved, both individually and as a team. We are confident that we can give a tough fight.

"But we have to be more consistent. We play well for two days, but let ourselves down over the next three days. We must now play session by session and ensure we win maximum sessions."

Rahim, who is recovering from a finger injury, said he will wait until the toss before deciding if he plays as a specialist batsman and leaves wicket-keeping duties to uncapped Litton Das.