IND vs BAN | It’s my fault, we shouldn’t have batted first, regrets Mominul Haque
Bangladesh skipper Mominul Haque has blamed himself for electing to bat first against India as the hosts ran through his side and dismissed them for just 150. After losing three early wickets, Mominul and Mushfiqur Rahim built a 68-run stand, before the captain’s dismissal triggered a collapse.
The skipper’s decision to bat first at Indore on Thursday seemed like the wrong move from the get-go as the Indian pacers were all over the Bangladeshi top-order. Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammad Shami picked up a wicket each as the visitors were reduced to 31 for three. The gritty partnership between the skipper and Rahim pulled things back a bit, but once Mominul fell, the rest fell through in no time.
“At times, your decision can be right, it can be wrong too. You can gauge that at the end of the day. If you finish the innings nicely, this thought wouldn’t have come. Mushi [Mushfiqur Rahim] and I adapted well and built a partnership. We struggled after the sudden collapse. I feel the decision to bat first was not correct. It is totally my fault,” Haque said, reported Sportstar.
“A lot of players adapted like Mushi and Liton. It was probably my fault that I got out at the wrong time. If we could have continued for long, we could have got a good score. The wicket was not unplayable, but when you are playing against a top bowling side, you have to be mentally strong. I think we lacked the mindset. They are a No. 1 bowling side,” he said.
Unlike India, Bangladesh has decided to field only two fast-bowlers, resting spearhead Mustafizur Rahman, who is injury-prone. In his absence, young quicks Abu Jayed and Ebadat Hossain did not fall short on effort but did not prove effective in their 19 overs.
“They have not played much Test cricket. They will take time to settle down. To be honest, we don’t have enough four-day bowlers in our stock. Bangladesh always concentrates more on the batting, that’s why we played two fast bowlers and an extra batsman,” Mominul added.