There is no competiton with R Ashwin as our roles differ, says Shakib Al Hasan

What’s the story?

Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh premier all-rounder has hailed Indian off-spinner R Ashwin and has said that what sets him apart as a spinner in the current times has to be his control and awareness. However, Shakib brushed aside any reports of competition for the all-rounder’s spot and said that there is no such rivalry between the two players and that their performances are more to do with the state of their teams.

"There is no competition, I do not think of it that way nor does he. In fact I think no one thinks of it that way. He is doing well from his place and I am trying to do well at my end. The better I do the more help the team gets. The importance of a player differs from team to team. I will be happy if I get to contribute for my team in the role I am in,” Shakib said in Hyderabad, which is the venue of the one-off Test match.

The Context

This is Bangladesh’s first ever tour to India, and this makes the Test a very poignant moment in their history. Both the teams have tasted success against England in their own backyard and this makes this tour all the more intriguing.

However, Mushfiqur Rahim, the captain of the visitors has played down all the hype and has reiterated that all this talk about the Test being a historic occasion accounts for nothing for his team, and they would look to go into the match without any pressure, and that his team is better suited against India now than they were 5 years ago.

Shakib’s comment follows the same pattern and it appears to be a concerted ploy by the visitors to downplay all the frenzy surrounding the Test match.

The Details

Shakib is ranked number 2 in the Test all-rounder’s list and hence it would be no surprise if his performances would be compared to R Ashwin who leads the ranking.

The southpaw is fresh after his record-breaking innings in New Zealand and his role in the team is a critical one both with the bat and ball. He, however, believes that the fortunes of any team depend on the performances of the entire unit and that the bowlers and the batsmen would have to contribute in equal measure.

He is also well awake to the fact that the spinners’ have their work cut out against the more proficient Indian players and hence they would have to bowl well as a unit and look to build as much pressure as possible.

Bangladesh’s bowling attack would revolve around Shakib and Taijul Islam, the left-arm tweakers along with the young off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz. This provides enough options for Mushfiqur to apply control as these bowlers have the ability to churn in long boring spells which would help to keep the scoring rate down.

What's next?

The Test match begins on February 9 and the hosts go into the match brimming with confidence after having trounced England in the just-concluded series. Bangladesh, on the other hand, were smashed by New Zealand but they would be a formidable unit in subcontinent conditions which reduces the gap between the two teams.

Sportskeeda’s Take

In many ways, this admission by Shakib holds true owing to the impressive performances by Ashwin in the recent past when he has annihilated visiting batsmen with his repertoire and skills.

However, the Virat Kohli team would be well aware of the threat Bangladesh posses and this makes this battle an intriguing one.