Beating India is huge before going to the World Cup, says Hathurusinghe

|| CF DESK ||

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe lauded his side for their hard-fought win against India in the Asia Cup, he believes this win will boost a lot of confidence in the team ahead of the ODI World Cup. 

Bangladesh had a tough contest in the Super Four of the Asia Cup, despite losing the first two Super Four matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan the Tigers bounced back with a slim six-run win over the Men in Blue. 

"[Beating India] is huge for us to go into the World Cup. We go with a lot of confidence, especially with what happened in this tournament. We had a really good run up to the Asia Cup, but in this tournament, we struggled to put on a collective effort. I am not giving excuses, but we played in different conditions like Kandy, Lahore and Colombo,” said coach.

The coach was pleased to give the bench players a chance and content to see their strength.

“We had some injuries at crucial times. The pleasing thing for me is the depth of our other players. We could give three guys the opportunity to showcase their talent and what they are capable of, thinking of the World Cup selection. It gives us a really good depth to select the 15 players."

Hathurusinghe showered praises on Mahedi Hasan and debutant Tanzim Sakib for their individual performances in the match. The coach hinted that the young fast bowler could be selected in the World Cup squad in the place of Ebadot Hossain.

"Overall as a cricketer, I was very impressed with his attitude and demeanour on the field. I didn't see him much before, but he is so confident when he is bowling. He bowled some big overs in this game. He got us back into the game with Shubman Gill's wicket," Hathurusinghe said.

"I don't think Tanzim did his chances any harm. He actually put his hands up for the World Cup selection. Until now we were thinking of trying to proceed without any injuries to our four fast bowlers,”

“As you know Ebadot [Hossain] isn't there for the World Cup. I think [Tanzim] showed us what he is capable of. I am pretty confident that if I had to rely on him, he has done well for his chances,” he added.