BANGLADESH TOUR OF SRI LANKA, 2025
Najmul Hossain Shanto celebrates his sixth Test century ©BCB
Who was under more pressure – Najmul Hossain Shanto or Mushfiqur Rahim – ahead of Galle Test?
The question can pop up into anyone’s mind who has been following Bangladesh cricket closely in recent times. Despite the recent turbulence across the Bangladesh cricketing circuit, both batters shined against all odds in Galle on Day 1 of the first Test.
On one hand, Shanto was determined to give a statement that he still has it in him following his axing of the ODI captaincy which was given to Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Meanwhile, for Rahim, it is an answer to those critics who were questioning his place in the Test squad after a prolonged lean patch since his 191 against Pakistan in August 2024.
Rahim, who is now only playing Tests, scored only 188 runs in his last 13 innings at an average 15.67 (3, 22*, 8, 13, 11, 37, 11, 33, 0, 2, 4, 4, 40) before coming up with his 12th Test century at his favorite venue, Galle, on Tuesday.
Many within the cricketing fraternity were sceptical of his ambition of playing over 100 Test matches due to his wavering form. But the veteran silenced all his doubters when he announced his arrival with a scintillating double century in 2013.
“I think I got a pretty good wicket every time I have played in Galle. I have seen how some other Tests here had a lot of purchase for spinners. We knew that one of us out of the seven batters had to capitalize on the first two days in Galle. If I am not wrong, myself and Ashraful bhai [Mohammad Ashraful] batted whole day here in 2013. It was my plan this time too; I was telling Shanto that we need to bat the whole day,” said Mushfiqur after Day 1.
“It is obviously a satisfying effort. Nobody wants to get any less runs after playing for so many years for your country. You can’t get runs in every game but when you do the right things over and over, hopefully the big score will come someday. When it comes, you have to make sure to make it count. I am not finished yet. I will try to maximize tomorrow,” he said.
Bangladesh were struggling at 45 for 3 when Mushfiqur came to crease to join Shanto, and together they put on a masterclass by stitching an unbeaten 247-run stand for the fourth wicket to ensure Bangladesh take early honours on Day 1 against host.
The experienced right-handed batter, who is unbeaten on 105, did not shy away from playing second fiddle to his Bangladesh captain, who looked to be in sublime form.
However, Rahim himself, played some good drives and cuts along with his trademark sweep shot and dispatched anything which was pitched on his leg with some eye catching flick shots. The pair played with positive intent and scored at 3.35 runs per over clearly validated their approach.
“Usually we see that our opponents send a fielder to the deep after two or three boundaries. Sri Lanka changes their fielding according to the conditions. You have to bat patiently against them. I think rotating the strike is important, maybe as much as hitting fours or sixes. Rotation of strike causes problems for the bowlers, especially when there’s a left-hander and a right-hander in the middle. It is very important to pick singles as the fielding side has to constantly change their placements. This is why we are always in training so that we remain fit,” he said.
On the other hand, Shanto decided to play aggressively and came down the wicket on couple of occasions to make sure that the spinners don’t dominate terms against him.
Ahead of the series Shanto was focused on honing his sweep shots and spoke with Cricbuzz regarding his intentions after a practice session but what was noteworthy about the southpaw was the fact he did not sweep until he reached his 50 today.
Rahim expects Shanto to continue in the same vein as he did on Day 1 and was not surprised to see him control the innings with utmost precision.
“Shanto has been in good form for a pretty long time. He has a good Test record. He is a good batter. It was nothing special. I was really impressed by his control factor today. He scored a hundred in Kandy some years ago but I thought this was the right approach. It is important to play a chanceless innings, when you are mostly in control. It is going to give confidence to the next batters,” he said.
“Since Shanto doesn’t have a double hundred in Test matches, why not aim for one now? Whether it’s 200 or 250 – whatever he can manage – it will be a big plus for us,” Rahim concluded.
The pair will be eyeing to begin from scratch at the start of play on Day 2, and will be in a much better mental space after ending Day 1 on an advantageous position.
© Cricbuzz
