Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan says India are unbeatable at home ahead of the second Test of the two-match series, which starts on Friday (Sep 27) in Kanpur. India are already ahead 1-0 in the series after winning the first Test in Chennai by 280 runs. Shakib also said that they beat Pakistan recently in the Test series as Bangladesh are a more experienced side. Bangladesh had won the two-Test series 2-0 against Pakistan ahead of the India tour.
“I think in patches we played really well in Chennai, but finishing the match in three and a half days isn’t ideal for us,” Shakib told reporters in Kanpur on the eve of second Test.
“We felt like we are a better team than that. Tomorrow we have another opportunity, and we need to show our potential in tomorrow’s match.”
“If we can score 350 or thereabouts, that will be a huge improvement. Scoring 350 to 400 in the first innings will give us a lot of confidence and boost our team,” he added.
Shakib pointed out that Pakistan are a young team so Bangladesh were able to come ahead of them but India are difficult to play at home.
“I think Pakistan is a relatively young and inexperienced team. If you look at the matches they’ve played and compare it to our team, we have more experience, and in Test cricket, that’s a massive factor,” Shakib said.
“If I talk about India, they are the number one team at the moment and are probably unbeatable at home. They are doing well outside as well, but at home, they are unbeatable. Any country finds India difficult, and we are no different. Having said that, we have to play really well to show the fight we feel we can put up,” he added.
Shakib also announced his retirement from T20Is on Thursday (Sep 26) and said he’ll most likely play his last Test next month.