Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha praised India for their bold and aggressive approach in securing a result during the rain-hit second Test at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Despite the loss of seven sessions due to rain, India adopted an unexpected strategy under Rohit Sharma’s leadership to force a result, ultimately winning the match by seven wickets.
Days 2 and 3 of the match were washed out without any play, leaving many to assume the Test would end in a draw. However, when play resumed on day 4, India came out with a determined and aggressive mindset. This shift in tactics caught Bangladesh off guard, as the Indian team made every effort to push for a win. Hathurusingha lauded India’s determination, saying, "India’s approach was something we hadn’t seen before. All credit to Rohit and his team for making a match of it. We didn’t react quickly enough, and that cost us."
The Bangladesh coach, while acknowledging India’s remarkable performance, expressed disappointment in his own team’s showing, particularly with their batting. On the final day, Bangladesh’s hopes of salvaging a draw quickly unraveled as they suffered a batting collapse, losing key players like Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shadman Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, and Litton Das within 30 minutes. The match concluded in just 173.2 overs, making it the fourth-shortest Test in history.
Reflecting on the series, Hathurusingha said, "Batting was disappointing throughout. Some players had performed well in the last series, but we haven’t been playing to our potential recently. The quality of the opposition played a big role in our struggles. The skill level India displayed was extremely high, and we’re taking away a lot of lessons from this. India is the best team, and playing them in their home conditions is the toughest assignment."
Bangladesh entered the series riding high after a historic whitewash of Pakistan, but Hathurusingha knew the challenges of facing India on home soil would be much steeper. He pointed out that while the victory in Pakistan was significant, the team needed to remain grounded and not get carried away. "We came here after beating Pakistan, but we were aware that the challenges in India would be far greater. It's important not to let emotions be dictated by results. We didn’t get overconfident after the win in Pakistan, so we shouldn’t be overly disheartened by this loss," he noted. "We know what we did well in Pakistan, but we also understand what we couldn’t do here to compete."
Hathurusingha admitted that Bangladesh was thoroughly outplayed in the series and highlighted the need for improvement to compete with stronger teams like India. "We were completely outplayed in this series. The difference in skill levels was clear, but we didn’t play to our full potential, and that’s what disappoints us the most. We need to improve in many areas to compete at this level."
Overall, while the series exposed the gap in skill between the two sides, Hathurusingha remained focused on the lessons Bangladesh could learn moving forward. The head coach expressed hope that the experience would serve as a valuable learning opportunity for his team as they look to improve in future international competitions.
