Hathurusingha sees shadow of Herath in Taijul

Despite being one of the most consistent performers in the Bangladesh Test side, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam often remains overshadowed by Shakib Al Hasan, and even at times, by Mehedi Hasan Miraz.

But the experienced spinner took all the limelight during Bangladesh's 150-run win over New Zealand in the first Test, with the left-arm spinner bagging 10 wickets in the game including a six-wicket haul in the second innings.

Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha was all praise of Taijul, saying he has noticed the team's former spin coach Rangana Herath's influence on the left-arm spinner. Herath's journey of two-and-a-half years with the Bangladesh Cricket Board officially ended after the first Test in Sylhet.

"Rangana Herath has done a lot of tactical work with him. Similar to (Herath) in the way he set up some of the batters. I think he is going to serve Bangladesh cricket for a long time," Hathurusingha said in Mirpur on Tuesday ahead of the second Test.

Taijul, the second-highest wicket-taker for the Tigers in Tests with 187 scalps, has to play a different role when Shakib is around. The 31-year-old, however, has overtaken the lead role in the Bangladesh spin unit in absence of Shakib.

"You all talk about him when he does well. We also talk about him inside a lot. He is very thorough in his training; very precise how he wants to prepare. He is a mentally strong person. He goes under the radar because he plays behind a world-class player. Taijul always plays second fiddle to Shakib in most of the games. His record is phenomenal. He has nearly 200 wickets. He is very consistent. He showed great maturity in this Test match," the Lankan coach said.