Striving to ‘conquer the summit’

Bangladesh squad is set to leave for India today to play a two-match Test series. The Tigers will be buoyed by their monumental maiden Test series win against Pakistan earlier this month, which led to the players receiving a winning bonus of Tk 3.20 crore from Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel yesterday.

Expectations for the Tigers have risen significantly, with people hoping for a repeat of similar performances on Indian soil, which has traditionally been a challenging venue, particularly in the longer format.

These expectations are not unfounded, given their performance over the past 17 months, during which they have won five of their eight Tests, including a home Test win over New Zealand and two away Test victories at Pakistan.

Bangladesh are touring India for a full series comprising two Tests and three T20Is for the first time since 2019. In their last two Test tours, they suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of the Asian giants.

Although Bangladesh made their Test debut in 2000, playing India, it took 17 years for them to visit the neighbouring nation for their first away Test against India.

Mushfiqur Rahim, who led the side in the one-off Test series, scored a brilliant hundred, but it was in vain as Bangladesh eventually lost the match by 208 runs in Hyderabad during their first visit in 2017.

In 2019, Bangladesh struggled to put up any resistance in both Tests in Indore and Kolkata, losing on the third day and suffering innings defeats on both occasions.

The Tigers have a poor home record against India as well, having lost eight out of ten Tests, with rain playing a significant role in the two drawn matches.

However, with the positive results they are bringing into the series and the form of the players, former captain and selector Habibul Bashar remains hopeful for a better show this time, banking on a much-improved team from the 2019 version.

"In the last five to seven Tests, Bangladesh have performed exceptionally well. Whether at home or away, such performances are significant. This is the big difference in Bangladesh at this moment," Bashar told The Daily Star yesterday.

The last time India lost a home Test series was in 2012, when they were defeated 1-2 by England in a four-match series. Since then, they have won a record 17 successive Test series on home soil and have only lost four Tests out of 51 matches at home.

Bashar, also the current women's wing head, reckons the Tigers "shouldn't aim for just a respectable result".

"It's difficult to climb Everest. People die while climbing Everest. But still, people go there to conquer the summit… I believe we are in a position to conquer the ultimate goal and not just show intent," he concluded.

The first Test will begin in Chennai on September 19, while Kanpur will host the second Test from September 27.