2nd Test: Mehidy Hasan Miraz admits to being surprised over India’s attacking approach

Kanpur, Sep 30 (IANS) Bangladesh’s off-spin all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz said he was taken by surprise over India’s attacking approach with the bat on Day Four of the rain-affected second Test at the Green Park Stadium here on Monday.

Under sunny skies, India’s breathtaking approach with the bat saw them set records for the fastest team 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 in men's Tests. On the back of half-centuries scored by Yashasvi Jaiswal and K.L. Rahul, India declared its first innings on 285/9 in just 34.4 overs after bowling out Bangladesh for 233.

With Bangladesh ending a frenetic fourth day at 26/2 in their second innings and trailing India by another 26 runs, the match is undoubtedly headed towards an exciting finish on Tuesday.

“They really advanced with a plan. Yes, I was somewhat surprised. After 2-3 overs, we realized they were following their strategy. We tried to play according to our strengths and aimed to break their innings.”

“Test cricket always presents various scenarios. Today's game was quite similar to a T20 match. From their planning, it was clear they came to win. In the end, everyone played to score runs.”

“We tried to figure out how to stop the runs. We must give them credit; they are the number one team and are performing well, with many world-class players and plenty of experience,” said Mehidy in the post-match press conference.

He also felt Bangladesh are still not out of the match yet and that having an optimistic mindset will be the key. “In Test cricket, anything is possible. We haven’t completely lost yet. We’ve won many matches under similar circumstances before and have done well. There’s still an opportunity for us.”

“The wicket is good. It will be challenging, but I believe if we can form a solid partnership and bat responsibly for a session, it will be a positive outcome for us. We still have tomorrow. Let’s not think negatively just yet.”

Mehidy conceded Bangladesh’s batter could have given more support to batter Mominul Haque, who remained unbeaten on 107 in Bangladesh’s first innings, even as others fell without being able to hang around for a long time.

"The first innings is very important for Tests and Mominul bhai really batted well we could not give him support and if we could give him support in that case the game could have been different and it would have been better for us. He played well, and it’s been a while since he had a good innings. His commitment and temperament were excellent, which is why he could score runs.”

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