Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, the Indian team has taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. India set a massive target of 515 runs in Chennai, and in response, Bangladesh’s second innings collapsed at 234. After a historic Test series win against Pakistan, the Bangladesh team was completely outplayed in India, losing by 280 runs. Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali criticized Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, reminding him of his overconfidence.
Shanto had expressed his intention to win both Test matches against India, just as they did against Pakistan. Before the India series, he stated, “After a good series against Pakistan, the confidence of the team and the people of the country has certainly increased. Every series is an opportunity. We will play to win both matches.” Basit targeted Shanto for this statement, saying that he should not have played mind games with India, as they are a very strong team.
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On his YouTube channel, Basit said, “India won the first Test easily. India deserved the victory. There is a big difference between the Indian and Pakistani teams. Bangladesh must have realized this by now. India has shown the gap between their cricket and Bangladesh’s.” The former cricketer also added, “Bangladesh must have learned the lesson of losing by opting to bowl first after winning the toss. Remember, teams that think only about the first two hours in a Test match never succeed. The goal is to come out victorious in the end.”
He further commented, “What’s the point of playing five bowlers? Everyone saw the result. Gambhir had said he needed 20 wickets to win a match, and you saw how many wickets India lost in the second innings—only four players got out. Bangladesh took 14 wickets overall, while India claimed 20. This six-wicket difference is visible. Shanto’s 2-0 statement should not have been made. You can’t play mind games here. This is not the Pakistan team.”