Taskin blames early collapse for Bangladesh downfall
|| CF DESK ||
Bangladesh suffered a batting collapse in the first Test against India, failing to avoid the follow-on as the Tigers were bowled out for just 149 runs, trailing India by 227 runs.
Instead of enforcing the follow-on, India opted to bat again and ended the second day with a lead of over 300 runs. The question now is how far the hosts can extend their lead.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Taskin Ahmed, who bagged five wickets so far in the ongoing Test, addressed Bangladesh’s batting collapse problem.
"The batsmen and the batting coach are aware of the issues and are working on them. Every player has strengths and weaknesses, and at the international level, improving those weaknesses is crucial for success. Whether it's struggling with deliveries on the inside or outside, everyone has areas to work on. The batsmen are focusing on where they need to improve," Taskin said.
Taskin suggested that a solid partnership early on could have changed the outcome for Bangladesh. "We lost too many wickets in the first 10 overs. If we hadn’t lost so many early wickets, we could have been in a much better position," he said.
Taskin took down skipper Rohit Sharma for five and fellow pace bowler Nahid Rana had left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal caught behind for 10 in the second innings. Spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz trapped Virat Kohli lbw for 17. Ultra edge technology showed a spike on the bat's inside edge, which even Kohli did not notice.
However, Taskin admitted they should’ve bowled India out earlier in the first innings.
"We should have bowled them out earlier. We admit we didn’t bowl up to our potential after the tea break. We took them out for 350, but we should’ve done it around 250. We didn’t perform as well as we’re capable of," he concluded.