I will look to become stronger mentally: Dipu

Young batter Shahadat Hossain Dipu was among the two new faces in the Tigers squad alongside pacer Mushfik Hasan called up for the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium starting on June 14. 

The right-handed batter had a decent time with the bat for Bangladesh A in the just concluded longer version series against West Indies A where he showed his calm and collected approach.

It was Dipu's first day at the national camp at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Monday and naturally, the focus of the media was on the youngster.

The 21-year-old, who was a member of the Bangladesh Under-19 World Cup winning squad in 2020, alongside current national team players like Shoriful Islam, and Shamim Hossain, chose to remain grounded after his maiden call-up to the Bangladesh side.

"I was playing with the A team. We had three matches and my focus was there. I didn't know what would happen after that. Obviously, everyone congratulated me and it feels good as everyone dreams to play for the national team," said Dipu when asked about his reaction to the national call-up on Monday.

Dipu prioritised the importance of having a strong mentality at the international level and assured that he is working to improve that aspect of his game. 

"I will try to improve my skill day by day and look to become stronger mentally and that's my job. The more I can improve in those areas the better I will get. I have played for Prime Bank Cricket Club in the last two seasons and I did well. I have played under the coaching of Salahuddin (Mohammad Salahuddin) sir in the last two years when I was able to play freely which is the reason I was able to do well. I will try to replicate that (if gets an opportunity in the national team)," he said.

The 21-year-old, who lost his father at a very early age, also shared the contributions that his elder brother has had on his way to the national team.

"I was very young when my father died. I didn't realise what happened but slowly I started to realise how my elder brother supported me in all aspects of life and I moved forward accordingly," Dipu added.