Pakistan win will give confidence for India tour, says Bangladesh captain Najmul Shanto

Bangladesh defied all the odds and picked up a phenomenal series win over Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Pakistan posted 274 runs in the first innings and in reply, the visitors were reduced to 26/6 at one stage. Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz stitched a crucial 165-run partnership to bail Bangladesh out of trouble and later, the bowlers did their job to make things simpler.

Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana picked up a five-for and four-for respectively, to restrict Pakistan to 172 runs in the third innings. Chasing 185 wasn’t supposed to be an easy task but Bangladesh batters made it look simple and got the job done on Day 5 of the Test. This win would give the Najmul Shanto-led side ‘a lot of confidence’ for the upcoming India tour, where they will play a two-match Test series and three T20Is. Shanto mentioned that the India tour will be important for the team and that the experience of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan will come in handy.

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“Next series is very important and this win gives us a lot of confidence. We have a lot of experience in Mushi and Shakib, and they will be important in India,” Shanto said in the post-match presentation.

Hope Miraz can do the same thing against India: Shanto

Mehidy Hasan Miraz had a spectacular series, in which he scored 155 runs in two matches and picked up ten wickets - the most by a player in the recently concluded series. He was adjudged Player of the Series for his impactful performances and after the game, captain Shanto stated he hopes Miraz to repeat the same in the upcoming India tour.

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“The way he bowled and took 5 wickets in these conditions is very impressive, and hope he can do the same against India,” Shanto said.

Speaking about the series win over Pakistan, Shanto said he was happy with the performance and was impressed with the work ethic of the pacers, who played a major role in their success.

“Really happy. We were looking to win here and very happy with the way everyone has done their job. Very impressive, the work ethic of our pacers was great and that's why we got the result. Everyone is honest with themselves and they want to win, I hope they continue,” Miraz said.