Bangladesh Captain Unfazed By 'Quality' Indian Side Ahead Of IND vs BAN 1st Test

As Bangladesh gets ready for taking on India in the first IND vs BAN Test, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto remains focused on team's performance rather than being intimidated by India's formidable side.

Bangladesh are set to take on India as the first IND vs BAN Tests is slated to commence on September 19 (Thursday) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. While the Men In Blue start as clear favourites for the two-match series, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is not too worried about the strong Indian side.

Bangladesh are coming off to a historic series win in Pakistan as they defeated the hosts 2-0 in a two-match Test series. This marked their first-ever series win over Pakistan in Tests in Bangladesh’s 24-years long history of the longest format of the game.

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Ahead of the IND vs BAN Chennai Test, Shanto expressed that they are confident after the Pakistan series win, but he also emphasised that it is now in the past.

"I think we played very good cricket against Pakistan, which gives us a lot of confidence. But, that is in the past," Shanto said during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

"We are here to play a new series, and the dressing room believes we can play very good cricket. We are not thinking about the outcome, but just trying to follow our processes," the Bangladesh skipper added.

India Are Quality But We Are Not Thinking About Opponents: Shanto

Shanto acknowledged the quality of the dominant India side but also expressed that they are not thinking about the conditions or the opponents but their own game and plans.

"I think they (India) are a very quality side. We know they have covered all the bases, like batting, bowling, and fielding. But, we are not thinking about the condition and the opponents. We are just thinking about ourselves." 

"And we are thinking about our game, not thinking about what will happen if we lose or win. We are just trying to give 100% every single match. That's why it looks calm and follows every single plan."

IND vs BAN 1st Test Squads

India’s squad for 1st Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, and Yash Dayal.

Bangladesh’s squad for 1s Test: Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Shakib Al Hasan, Nahid Rana, Mominul Haque, Litton Kumer Das, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Zakir Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Jaker Ali Anik, Taijul Islam, Shadman Islam.