'Bangladesh not here just to serve up balls for India'

Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo claimed that his team had made a brave decision when opting to bat first at the Eden Gardens yesterday. The Tigers were bowled out for a meagre 106 and there were criticisms of the decision. Domingo provided another angle on the team's decision.

"Obviously, a terrible day for us. Regarding the toss, I really think it is important to understand that Bangladesh are not just here to serve up balls for India. I know everyone was hoping Bangladesh can bowl first so India can get 400-450. But that's not why we were here. We think the best way to win a Test match in India is to bat first. Ninety-nine per cent of the time you bat first in the sub-continent, on a good wicket. We have no qualms with the decision to bat first," Domingo said during a press conference after the end of the first day's play.

The first session is usually the best time to bat in the sub-continent and Kolkata is no different. The early morning dew goes away before start of proceedings and even with a bit of bounce in the wicket, it was a good track to bat on. The Bangladesh team were however battling confidence issues after being bundled out for 150 and 213 in the first Test at Indore.

"When we started batting, it was bright sunshine on a good wicket. The first five or six overs it looked like the wicket was pretty flat, which may have seemed that it was a good decision to bat first. When we lost a few wickets, it must have looked like a bad decision to bat first. It is just the nature of the game. We are struggling with confidence in the top-order."

"It was not a 30-over all out wicket. There's no doubt that we didn't bat well enough.

"There's lack of confidence. There's lack of experience against this type of attack week in, week out. It is a bit of mental, technical and confidence. We are facing some really world-class bowlers and coming short. We have to deal with a whole host of issues at the moment," he said.

There was a concern about Bangladesh's preparation heading in to the Test series. Domingo himself had talked about not having enough time to prepare prior to the Test series. He however did not want to focus on lack of preparation and instead pointed to the gulf in abilities between the two sides in the longer version.

"I wouldn't say we were underprepared for the pink ball. India had similar time to train. There's a big difference between the two sides, regardless of six or seven days of preparation for the pink ball. We are a long way behind in Tests. Virat Kohli has 26 Test hundreds while our whole team has 16 or 17. We have to address, going forward."