Tohid Hridoy, Bangladesh’s lone bright spot with an unbeaten 63 off 42 balls, admitted that the team failed across all departments, with their struggles on flat pitches being a key factor. The right-handed batter stressed that playing on batting-friendly surfaces remains a challenge for Bangladesh, who are more accustomed to spin-friendly pitches like those in Mirpur and Chittagong.
“Most of our players can’t read wickets,” Hridoy explained. “We play most of our matches in Mirpur, and sometimes in Chittagong. If we keep playing on good wickets, we won’t change overnight, but we will slowly improve.”
India’s powerful batting lineup dominated, exposing Bangladesh’s shortcomings, especially on flat wickets in the recently-concluded T20I series. While India thrived with aggressive stroke play and precise execution, Bangladesh’s top order repeatedly failed to set a platform for the middle and lower-order batters.
Hridoy, however, maintained that Bangladesh’s struggles do not reflect an inherently poor standard but rather the challenge of competing against a superior side in familiar conditions. “I wouldn’t say our standard is too low. We were competing against a very strong side. They are T20 world champions. They are ahead of us in terms of skills, and they know their home conditions. I think we are a good side, but we need to learn how to play better on flat wickets.”
Reflecting on the 3-0 series loss, Hridoy emphasized the importance of taking lessons from the defeat, particularly the need for Bangladesh’s top order to contribute more consistently. “A big score becomes easier to get with runs from the top order, at least till No. 4. I think we have to improve as a batting group. It has been happening for a long time now, but we are hopeful that we can learn from this series.”
Bangladesh’s woes extended beyond batting, with their bowling and fielding also underwhelming throughout the series. Hridoy was candid in admitting the team’s all-around failure, stating, “We have lacked in every department. We didn’t bowl well or bat well in every game. We have a lot to improve.”
In closing, Hridoy backed leg-spinner Rishad Hossain to recover from a disappointing series where he managed only three wickets, despite an impressive T20 World Cup campaign earlier. “This series was a tough one for him, but he’s a quality bowler, and we know he will bounce back.”
