Towhid Hridoy, the young batting sensation of Bangladesh, said on Saturday that they lacked everywhere as they were absolutely crushed in just-concluded three-match T20I series against India.
Bangladesh had an experienced side in the three-match T20I series compared to young Indian squad but that proved dividend as the hosts outplayed Bangladesh on every occasions that exposed their skill sets to the limits.
Bangladesh suffered a huge 133-run defeat in the third and final T20I and lost the series 0-3 on a record-breaking night for the hosts at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Bangladesh managed to score 164/7 in a record run chase of 298 and eventually lost the match by 133 runs.
This is Bangladesh’s largest defeat by a margin of runs, beating the previous record of 104-run defeat to South Africa in 2022.
Bangladesh lost the first game by seven wickets while India won the second game by 86 runs.
“We lacked in all departments. One day the batting was good but the bowling wasn’t, and when the bowling was good, the batting wasn’t,” Hridoy told reporters after Bangladesh’s record defeat in the third T20I on Saturday.
“We don’t usually play on wickets like this. I’m not making excuses, but the more we play on such wickets, the better we’ll get,” he added.
“We didn’t perform well with the ball and not just the ball our batting wasn’t up to the mark throughout the series either,” he further said.
“We need to improve in batting, bowling, and fielding in certain areas. Overall, we have a lot of room for improvement. We have a lot to learn from this series. Hopefully, we will be able to learn from it,” he added.
Hridoy said that failure of the top-order made them pay in every match, while adding that if they are accustomed to play in good wicket, they can do better in the coming days.
“Look, in every team, runs come from the top order. When that happens, naturally, you score big. If the top four get big runs, then the total becomes 180,” he said.
“To be honest, it's a very good wicket for batting. We don’t usually play on wickets like this. I’m not making excuses, but the more we play on such wickets, the better we’ll get,” he said adding that at times they fail to read the wicket.”
“I wouldn’t say we’re too far behind. We're not this bad as a side. It’s more about how we can perform on flat wickets. Most of our players can’t read the wicket properly. We mostly play in Mirpur. If we play in Chattogram, we know what the wicket will be like, but in other places, the wicket varies each day. If we keep playing on good wickets, we will improve day by day. It won’t happen overnight. India can be an example for us - how to play on flat wickets with good planning. We need to improve in all departments,” he said.
“It’s not just about the wickets; we also need to improve our skills. I wouldn’t say our standard is too low. We’ve played against big teams. India is a strong team, and this is their home ground. They’re good in all aspects and ahead in terms of skill too,” Hridoy concluded.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
