Blames on batters; Tigers look for a turnaround

After the second day of play in Chennai, Bangladesh finds itself in a precarious position. In response to India's first innings total of 376, Bangladesh was bowled out for just 149 runs. As India closed the day at 81 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, Bangladesh is now trailing by 308 runs. Despite impressive bowling, the batting failures are pushing Bangladesh toward defeat, which has understandably led to disappointment. Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed expressed this frustration at the press conference.

Reflecting on the batting performance, Taskin said, "The pace bowlers were getting assistance from the wicket, yet we had opportunities to perform better with the bat. We are certainly disappointed with our batting; we could have done much better."

He further lamented, "We struggled initially, but we could have batted well. The batters acknowledge that. If we had played a bit better against the new ball, we wouldn’t have lost so many wickets. The new ball is challenging for the middle order."

In the first innings, Bangladesh had India under pressure by taking 6 wickets for 144 runs, but the partnership between Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja saved the hosts. Taskin noted that Bangladesh failed to take a wicket in the third session of the first day, indicating that they could have bowled better.

"We started well yesterday. Ashwin and Jadeja played well, but we didn't bowl effectively at that time. This morning, we had a good session, taking their last 4 wickets for just 37 runs. Overall, our bowling was good, but we could have performed even better. There was more assistance for bowlers yesterday than today. While our bowling was decent, I am very disappointed with our batting."

Bangladesh's batting woes continued as they lost 5 wickets for just 40 runs, making it difficult for the remaining batters. "They were more consistent with their line and length. We made some mistakes against the new ball. In these conditions, the first 10-12 overs are very challenging. Losing so many wickets early made batting very difficult."

Taskin also reflected on the third session of the first day, stating, "Whether at home or away, India is always a strong opponent. At home, teams generally have an advantage. We have a home series coming up, and we hope to dominate as well, Insha’Allah. The conditions and opponents in Pakistan were different. We did well in batting and bowling there. We should have gotten them out earlier. We couldn't bowl to the mark after the tea break. We should have bowled them out for around 250, but we let them get to 300. We acknowledge that we didn't perform to our potential. Tomorrow is a new day; let's see what happens.'