Mehedi Hasan hopeful of discussing spin bowling with Ravichandran Ashwin

Following the Under-19 World Cup, Mehedi shot into prominence by dismantling the English batsmen in spin-friendly conditions at home last year to set up a stunning win. The teenager, who idolizes Ramesh Powar, wasn't as effective in New Zealand, however, and is looking to pick Ashwin's brains on this tour.

“I haven’t met him yet but I will try to speak to him at some stage. There are restrictions, so I can’t meet him now. We will definitely see each other during the game,” Mehedi told a press conference in Hyderabad.

“I am always keen to know and learn about the game. He is the No 1 spinner in the world. I focus on his bowling whenever I see him on TV – I try to see where he is pitching the ball. To see him in person, playing against him and watching him bowl will be a new experience for me. It will help my future as a cricketer.

“It is difficult to hold on to a certain standard of performance but I will definitely try my best. Spinners will get help here, we know that, but the Indian batsmen are really good. It will be a challenge for us but we are up for it and we want to give it our all.

“We did well in New Zealand, though we didn’t win. We have to give our best here. This is our first Test in India. They are the No. 1 Test side in the world, so we will feel better if we can perform well against them. My target will be to try to play according to my strengths – try to bowl consistently in the right areas. I don’t bowl to take wickets, because when I do that, I lose my control sometimes. The plan is to bowl in the right areas – that’s all.”

Mehedi failed to take a wicket in the only practice game against India A.

“The practice match was helpful for us to understand the conditions. We have played in different conditions in the last few months. The Indian batsmen will want to dominate us, which he have understood in the practice game. They will always look for runs so we have to bowl accordingly and try to stop them from scoring quickly. We have to prepare mentally first.

"They are all world-class players. If a bowler takes wickets among their top-order batsmen, we will get credit. So I will be trying to do that. We have to be consistent with our lines and lengths. If we can keep them quiet, they might make mistakes and get out."