Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed highlighted the challenges his team faced in adapting to the conditions during the first Test match of their tour in India. One of the key factors Taskin pointed out was Bangladesh’s difficulty in adjusting to the SG ball, which is predominantly used in India, unlike the Kookaburra or Dukes balls more commonly seen elsewhere.
“We played well in Pakistan overall and hence, we won. In India, the conditions are challenging. India are getting more advantage due to SG balls. Indian cricketers play with SG balls from their childhood. India know how to use the balls better than us.
”Bangladesh’s inexperience with the SG ball became evident during India’s first innings. Although the Bangladesh bowlers were able to extract early swing from the new ball, their effectiveness diminished as the ball got older. Hasan Mahmud managed to take 4 wickets in the first 30 overs, but as the ball lost its shine, the Bangladesh attack struggled to maintain pressure, allowing India’s Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin to score freely.
Taskin askin askin himself took 3 wickets in the first innings, including the important scalp of Rohit Sharma in India’s third innings, but acknowledged the challenges posed by the SG ball.
Taskin also pointed out that Bangladesh’s batting lineup struggled to cope with India’s bowling attack, particularly with the new ball. Bangladesh’s top order faltered early in the innings, putting the middle order in a difficult position.
“We could have batted well, although we struggled early. Batters accepted their mistakes. Had we played well with the new ball, we would not have lost so many wickets. For the middle order, playing with the new ball was tough,” reflected Taskin.
As of now, Bangladesh has lost 3 wickets on the score of 127 runs in their second innings, they need to achieve the target of 515 for winning the match.
