Taijul’s perseverance wrought with ‘discipline’

Bangladesh's Taijul Islam entertained all with his witty responses in the press conference after the first day's play of the ongoing first Test against South Africa on Monday.

Often shorn of the limelight that usually comes with the success that he has achieved in international cricket, Taijul anticipated questions regarding Shakib Al Hasan, especially as the all-rounder is absent from the first Test due to security concerns.

Even though he has remained in the shadows of Shakib for most of his career, Taijul has always maintained a steady process.

Taijul had previously highlighted the fact that even his success is often seen in light of Shakib's performances, who remains Bangladesh's highest wicket-taker with 246 wickets. On Monday, Taijul became the fastest Bangladeshi bowler to take 200 wickets in Tests, overtaking Shakib. 

Taijul has also shown the ability to spearhead the attack in Shakib's absence and yesterday's clever quips showed he is well-honed to taking pressure. As the second-most successful left-arm spinner in international Tests over the last decade since his debut in 2014, only behind India's Ravindra Jadeja, Taijul knows what it takes to succeed.

But in a country where Test cricket does not induce as much excitement as white-ball cricket, the likes of Taijul often appear to be playing second fiddle.

Amongst his colourful quips were gems such as 'In our country, many things happen by word of mouth. The thing is, there are many who have done badly but being trolled made them stars. There are also those who have done well but couldn't become a star. I have accepted that," Taijul said with a wry smile.

Neither does Taijul believe that he has been deprived in some way due to Shakib hogging the limelight due to his all-round abilities. Taijul plays within himself, just as he had done yesterday in picking up yet another fifer, the 13th of his career.

He had bagged a fifer in his debut back in 2014 against West Indies. Talking to broadcasters ahead of Day 2, Taijul talked about discipline behind maintaining his hunger.

"Whenever you see someone successful, you will find that discipline is involved. I am not saying that I am someone very successful but I try to maintain that discipline. I followed those who maintained discipline and it's important," the 32-year-old told T Sports today.

Bangladesh have not had opportunities to play a lot of Test cricket over the years. So getting to 300 or 400 wickets is still a distant dream. But Taijul's key has been perseverance, an ability to bowl a huge number of overs. "If someone asks me to bowl 12-15 overs on the trot, I can do that," he had said yesterday.

Taijul's unwavering focus, even when shorn of the limelight, has always been on 'contributing for the team'. Taijul keeps plugging away and with him, Bangladesh too can hope to shine.