Bangladesh should shun defensive strategies against India

The Tigers bond during a training session, Dhaka, 2015

Fatullah is a town which is situated in the southern outskirts of Dhaka close to the town of Narayanganj. It is one of the major industrial areas of Bangladesh and the town is famous for the second largest cattle market of Eid-ul-Azha. Fatullah has a very enriched history and tradition. During the British period, the landlords of Fatullah took various developmental initiatives to glorify the area, the marks of which can still be seen.

Despite being an industrial area, Fatullah is not as noisy and chaotic as Dhaka. There is a certain calmness which gifts one mental refreshment from the day to day hassles of city life. The people of Fatullah are warm-hearted, cordial and passionate about sports. And when it comes about expressing the passion about cricket, the people of Fatullah are an effulgent bunch of species. The Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Cricket Stadium was established by keeping in mind the passionate cricket fans of Fatullah.

The last time this town hosted a Test match was way back in 2006 when a young Bangladesh team led by Habibul Bashar almost dished out an astonishing victory against the world champions Australia. Had Mashrafe Mortaza not dropped Ricky Ponting, the result could have been something else. Nine years have passed since then. The people of Fatullah are thirsty to witness another epic encounter and within few days, they will be able to quench their thirst as the Tigers will take on the Indians in a one-off Test series.

The people wish to witness another intrepid display from the Tigers like 2006. The result of 2006 was a tragic one, but now, they don’t want the repetition of another tragedy. They wish to add another gloried story in its enriched history. But to script a glorifying story, Bangladesh must change their attitude while playing Test cricket.

So far, Bangladesh’s progress in 2015 has been eye-catching. The attitude of the team has changed dramatically under Chadika Hathurusingha and their fearless brand of cricket has become one of the most attractive things for the spectators around the globe. The boys have certainly become men.

But the Tigers’ attractive display can only be seen in the limited-over version as because, in Test cricket, Bangladesh are yet to hit the jackpot. Yes, the honorable draw against Pakistan in the first Test at Khulna was encouraging, but the meek surrender in the second Test at Mirpur was frustrating and left the critics thinking whether the heroics in Khulna were a flash out of the pan or not.

Bangladesh’s attitude is not positive in Test cricket. While playing a Test match, their main motto remains of avoiding a defeat. They play for survival and not victory. Yes, for the lower-ranked teams, the ploy of avoiding-a-defeat is good for a transient period, but they never guarantee a better future. As because, such a defensive approach never teaches a team how to win in Test cricket.

The Indian team is very strong and their main strength is batting. They have some world class batters who love to dominate the bowlers. On the placid tracks of the subcontinent, the Indian batters are almost invincible and for which playing just three front line bowlers against them will be an absolute waste. Bangladesh must surface a team where they will have the services of at least five bowlers. Otherwise, they will be found toiling hard under the sun.

Again, the Bangladeshi batsmen must shun their adventurous stroke-play and need to learn the importance of patience and when to apply caution and when to attack. Their nag of exhibiting adventurous stroke-play without judging the merit of the ball had resulted in fatal outcomes many times in the past. An ideal temperament for batting in Test cricket is needed from the batters and this is not an impossible task for the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan.

Moreover, the Bangladesh think-tank must give enough emphasize on preparing sporting wickets rather than dead tracks. Sporting wickets are extremely helpful in instilling a positive temperament among the cricketers and produce quality cricketers as well.

If Bangladesh wish to do well against India, then they must shun their defensive mindset and play for a victory. The captain of the Indian team Virat Kohli is an aggressive and positive cricketer. He dreams big and never shies away from chasing his dreams. He will come out at Fatullah all guns blazing and to challenge Virat’s India, Mushfiqur must be bold and proactive. A defensive approach will only script a frustrating result.