What’s the story?
India’s star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has acknowledged Bangladesh’s recent improvement in the Test arena and remained guarded against complacency ahead of the solitary match in Hyderabad.
After registering their maiden Test victory in the drawn series against England last year, Bangladesh slipped to a 0-2 whitewash in New Zealand despite showing considerable fight. However, Ashwin did not pay much heed to their performances in that particular series whilst reiterating the difficulty of playing away from home.
“Bangladesh are a quality side. They have played some fantastic cricket. They are coming from New Zealand. We know playing New Zealand is not easy and they put up some stellar performances against them. They are a side on the rise, so we cannot take them lightly.
“We have to follow our routines and do the same thing again and again in a Test match scenario because Test cricket can sort you out quickly”, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder told bcci.tv.
The Context
The upcoming one-off Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal (Hyderabad) will be Bangladesh’s first on Indian soil. They will have to do without the services of opener Imrul Kayes who had injured his left thigh during the practice match against India ‘A’.
The heart of the matter
Ashwin was rested from the recently completed T20I series against England in order to rejuvenate himself for the latter part of India’s home Test season. A steady mix of rehabilitation sessions and training drills helped in recovering sufficiently from Athletic pubalgia (sports hernia).
The 30-year old also sounded excited about the prospect of returning to one of his favorite venues in the country. He attributed his irrepressible record in Hyderabad to the relatively large size of the ground as well as the pitch with a bit of turn and bounce which aided his ‘imaginative‘ style of bowling.
Parallels from history
From four innings at this venue, Ashwin has three five-wicket hauls including his maiden ten-wicket bag against New Zealand in 2012. The canny spinner will be eager to extend his prolific run in Hyderabad when he takes the field on Thursday. Interestingly, he had revived his career against Bangladesh in Fatullah during the 2015 season by picking up a five-for after more than two years.
Extra Cover: 5 reasons why Bangladesh can pull off an upset in the Hyderabad Test
Sportskeeda’s Take
Not so long ago, Bangladesh used to pack the side with batsmen and all rounders in the hope of eking out a draw. However, their mentality has changed during the last season or two. With the emergence of a promising spinner in Mehedi Hasan to partner the experienced Shakib Al Hasan, they might turn out to be competitive in the India Test.
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