Won’t be surprised if more than 6,000 Bangladeshi fans turn up at Eden: Habibul Bashar

Obviously, every series is important. But this one is a little different. We started playing Tests in 2000. After 19 years, we are going for a full tour of India. We had played a one-off Test in Hyderabad two years ago. But it’s the first full tour, which makes the assignment even more important from Bangladesh’s perspective. We are very excited, especially for the fact that we will be playing a Test at Eden Gardens. It makes the occasion humongous. Playing a Test at Lord’s is a matter of pride and prestige. The same applies to a Test at Eden Gardens. Also, we will open our World Test Championship campaign with this series against India.

How excited are the fans in Bangladesh? The Fifa World Cup qualifier between India and Bangladesh at the Salt Lake Stadium earlier this month saw a turnout of over 60,000. It’s likely to be a full house at Eden also.

Fans are very excited. I’m sure a lot of fans from here (Bangladesh) will be going to Eden. For a lot of people in Bangladesh, especially those who are from Jessore and Khulna, it’s easier to go to Kolkata than Dhaka, distance-wise (Kolkata is just 128 kilometres from Jessore). Obviously, there’s sentiment attached as well, between Kolkata and Bangladesh. In Kolkata also, there are many people who have their ancestral roots in Bangladesh (erstwhile East Bengal). Like many people in Bangladesh consider Kolkata sort of their second home, I believe a lot of Kolkatans, too, reciprocate that feeling. A lot of my friends are planning to go for the Eden Test. I won’t be surprised if more than 6,000 Bangladeshi fans turn up.

The Eden Test could be a pink-ball, day-night affair, although it hasn’t been finalised yet. If the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) receives a request from the BCCI in this regard, will the BCB be agreeable to it?

I’m 100 per cent sure that the BCB will not object. Although we haven’t played pink-ball cricket much, I’m sure that the BCB and the team will accept (it). It won’t be a problem.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to be present for the match. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are likely to be in attendance as well. Do you agree that given the occasion, a day-night Test against Bangladesh at Eden would offer a grand spectacle?

I’m sure it will. I believe Sourav (Ganguly) will take the Kolkata Test to a different level. So we are very excited. I just hope that our team performs well.

Bangladesh started the World Cup strongly but lost momentum. The short limited-overs series in Sri Lanka didn’t go well either. Then they lost the one-off home Test against Afghanistan also. India, on the other hand, are the World No. 1 Test side for close to three years now. They are also fresh from back-to-back clean sweeps of West Indies and South Africa. So how well are Bangladesh prepared for the upcoming series, given that the players went on strike and Test captain Shakib Al Hasan has fallen out with the BCB over an alleged breach of contract?

See, the strike didn’t last long. The matter was resolved in two days. We didn’t have any match or practice sessions during that period. The BCB handled it professionally. As for the issue related to Shakib, it’s not a team issue. Sometimes, such individual issues crop up. I hope it will not affect our preparations. But we will miss Tamim Iqbal, as he is not available (the opener has pulled out on personal grounds). It’s a big setback for us, because he has been our best batsman (in Tests) for long.

And like you mentioned, India are in tremendous form. They are the strongest opposition in Test cricket at this moment. So, opening our World Test Championship campaign against India is a huge challenge. We know that. It’s a very tough test. At the same time, it’s an opportunity for us as well. If we perform well, Bangladesh cricket will make a rapid forward movement. But once again, it won’t be easy. India probably have the best bowling attack in the world at this moment. Pace, spin – they have an all-round bowling attack. They probably also have the best top-five, batting-wise. So we have to play out of our skins.

But Shakib at loggerheads with the BCB; it might affect the team atmosphere, isn’t it so?

No, I don’t think so. I think players are now very happy, for whatever they demanded they got it. The problem between Shakib and the BCB is over a contract clause. It’s not related to cricket. So the team (atmosphere) will not be affected.

Have you finalised the Test squad?

We have picked a preliminary squad. After the ongoing round of our first-class matches, we will finalise the squad.

Bangladesh are a good batting unit and the team also has a few very decent spinners. But they probably need a tearaway fast bowler to reach the next level. Do you agree?

Yes, fast bowling is one area where we are struggling. We don’t have flat-out fast bowlers. But I’m hopeful that Taskin (Ahmed) will be fit and available for the Tests. He is currently acquiring game time in first-class cricket. If he is fit for the Tests, that will be a real positive for us. We have also brought back Al-Amin (Hossain). So let’s see.

We don’t have a fast bowler like (Jasprit) Bumrah or (Mohammed) Shami. Whatever we have, Bangladesh had earned success with them in the past. And we will unearth fast bowlers in the future. At one time, India, too, had this problem (not having 140kph fast bowlers). Hopefully, we will unearth some fast bowlers soon.

One problem area in the Bangladesh batting is that even the experienced players don’t usually convert their 70s and 80s into daddy hundreds. So as a national selector, what will be your message to the batsmen ahead of the tour?

I totally agree. See, in Test cricket, not every batsman will score big runs in a match. He who gets into the groove must play a big innings. If we want to do well against India, we have to convert the 60s, 70s and 80s into big hundreds.