On the left is Mushfiqur Rahim's coach Mohammad Salahuddin and next to him is Nazmul Abedeen Fahim. Image Source: Facebook[/caption]Debasis Sen, Hyderabad: Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim hit back at his critics with a fighting century against India in the only test match here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Mushfiqur’s gritty knock of 127 runs helped Bangladesh stretch their first innings total to 388 runs. Mushfiqur’s valiant century of 262 balls included 12 fours and a couple of sixes.
Speaking about his knock today, Mushfiqur’s coach Mohammad Salahuddin told xtratime.in, “He showed tremendous patience and grit which was expected of him. The way he paced his innings was something noteworthy.”
The Bangladesh captain has been under tremendous pressure following his un-inspirational captaincy and errors behind the stumps. There is no doubt that Mushfiqur is integral to Bangladesh's plans as a batsman. He has the proven quality of a dependable middle-order player and is the go-to man when the side is in trouble. The first two days of the Hyderabad Test, though, have put a huge question mark over his captaincy and also his wicket keeping.
But Salahuddin voted for Mushfiqur to remain as captain. According to Salahuddin, “Even the world’s best captain cannot turn Bangladesh’s fortune overnight in test matches. How can you expect to do well in tests if you are not playing quite often against better opponents? Mushfiq has done well as captain and should be persisted with.”
On being asked whether the added responsibility of wicket-keeping and captaincy affecting his batting, Salahuddin said, “I reckon both Mushfiq and Shakib are the best all-rounders in this side. If Shakib fails with the bat, he can make up with his bowling. Similarly with Mushfiq, he can overcome his batting failure with his wicket-keeping. But if you remove him from wicket-keeping, there will be more added pressure on him to perform as a batsman.”
[caption id="attachment_36704" align="aligncenter" width="580"]
Mushfiqur Rahim scored 127 runs against India at Hyderabad on Sunday.[/caption]His innings of 159 runs against New Zealand in Wellington with a broken finger speaks volumes about his grit. But then grit alone isn't enough for a captain, though. The ability to size up a match situation, balancing control and aggression, knowing what the bowlers are capable of and then getting it out of them, are all essential requisites in a leader have been missing in Mushfiqur’s captaincy in recent times.
With Shakib al Hasan not keen to lead the country, Tamim Iqbal is the front-runner to replace Mishfiqur as captain, until unless the selectors change their mind after his innings today.
Adding to the woes is his horrible gloves work behind the stumps. He missed a regulation chance of stumping Wriddhiman Saha, who went on to score a century in this test match.
With Liton Das waiting for his chances, it will be interesting to see if the selectors give the responsibility to the youngster.
Lastly, on being asked what has been the most impressive aspect of Mushfiqur, Salahuddin said, “I think both he (Mushfiqur) and Mominul are tremendously hard working cricketers in this current team. They are never shy of putting in that extra effort during the practice sessions. What stands out for me is Mushfiqur’s hard-work and mental strength.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment