'We don't know how to score 180'

Bangladesh's players don’t seem to know how to score 180 runs in T20 cricket. After losing the first match of the series to India by 7 wickets in Gwalior, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto criticized the batters. According to him, the team is lagging behind in both skill and mentality. Shanto also shared his thoughts on how to improve their batting and pointed fingers at the condition of the home pitches as well.

Modern T20 cricket has become fast-paced and aggressive, but the Bangladesh team seems stuck in the old days of the game. Instead of aiming for big scores, the Tigers believe that 140 to 150 runs are a safe target for them. In the last two years, Bangladesh has scored more than 180 runs in only four of their 45 T20 matches—twice against Ireland and twice against Sri Lanka. However, they lost both matches against Sri Lanka.

Last night in Gwalior, Bangladesh managed to score only 127 runs, losing to India by 7 wickets. Shanto blamed the batters for the defeat, stating that his team does not know how to play to achieve big totals.

“We have the ability. I truly believe we have it. There is also room for a lot of improvement in our skills. How will this improvement happen? For the past 10 years, we have been batting this way. Sometimes, we bat well. In this regard, when we practice at home, we need to make changes to the pitches. At home, we play on 140-150 run wickets. Our batters know how to handle that, but they don’t know how to score 180 runs. Practicing on such surfaces might help us improve. But I won’t completely blame the pitch. There are also mental and skill factors at play,” Shanto explained.

India needed only 128 runs to win. They attacked from the start, reaching fifty in just 4.4 overs. By the end of the powerplay, they had scored 71 runs, the highest powerplay total against Bangladesh in T20s. India reached 100 runs in just 9.3 overs and comfortably won the match in 11.5 overs.

Despite losing the first match, Bangladesh still has a chance to come back in the series. The second match will be held on October 9, Wednesday, at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. Bangladesh must win that match to keep the series alive, otherwise, Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s team will face the embarrassment of losing both the Test and T20 series against India.