Sri Lanka series is going to be a bigger challenge than last year's New Zealand series: Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha

After losing the T20I series, Bangladesh bounced back strongly to win the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka. Now, the two Asian nations are set to face each other in a two-Test series, with the first match starting on Friday, March 22 in Sylhet.

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha highlighted the difference in experience between the two sides. Angelo Mathews (107), Dimuth Karunaratne (89) and Dinesh Chandimal (77) have played 273 Tests, which is three more than the number of games played by the entire Bangladesh side. However, Hathurusingha asserted that the younger players in the Bangladesh squad are bringing in a lot of energy.

"We understand that Sri Lanka has an experienced batting line-up. They are a formidable side. Couple of the guys [only Mathews] maybe have over 100 Tests, but we are up to the challenge. The mood in our camp is good. We have a lot of new faces. We have different teams in red- and white-ball cricket. The new boys are bringing a lot of energy and enthusiasm," Hathurusingha was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

The 55-year-old sounded wary of the greenish tinge on the pitch which will host the first Test at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Late last year, Bangladesh defeated New Zealand by 150 runs at this ground. The series was eventually drawn as the Kiwis won the second Test in Dhaka by four wickets. The Bangla Tigers earned 12 World Test Championship (WTC) points from the series. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are yet to open their account in the current WTC cycle, having lost both the games they have played so far.

"The pitch is a little bit different. The last one [against New Zealand] was bare without much grass. This one has a tinge of green grass. Weather will be a factor in this game. Taking all that into consideration and the opposition's limitation and our strength, this is going to be a bigger challenge than the New Zealand series. We have to play our best game to beat Sri Lanka," Hathurusingha said.

It is an exciting time for Bangladesh cricket with so many young players: Chandika Hathurusingha

Hathurusingha admitted that Mushfiqur Rahim's absence will be felt in the series. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter was ruled out of the series after suffering a thumb injury during the ODIs. However, the Colombo-born mentioned some of the younger players in the team who could rise up to the occasion.

"We are going to miss Mushy's experience. He is in good form. It is very hard to replace this kind of experience straight away. Having said that, we are going to back our young players. [Towhid] Hridoy is coming in. We also have [Shahadat Hossain] Dipu and Shadman [Islam] in the squad. They have been with the Test team lately. It is an exciting time for Bangladesh cricket with so many young players. I will ask them to grab every opportunity," Hathurusingha said.

Besides, coach Hathurusingha also expressed that he was keen to watch uncapped pacers - Nahid Rana and Musfik Hasan in action during the series. Moreover, he pointed out that both youngster are strong lads as they bowl 140-plus speeds with impressive consistency.

"They are both exciting prospects for Bangladesh. They can both bowl 140-plus. They are very young, they are strong boys. They made good starts to their first-class careers. They bowled lots of overs. I am looking forward to seeing one of them playing in this game, if not both," he said.

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Litton Das registered a couple of ducks in the first two ODIs before he was dropped from the side for the third and final encounter. Hathurusingha backed the 29-year-old to get back among the runs in red-ball cricket as he will have the time to get himself in.

"I expect him [Litton] to bring lot more runs in red-ball cricket. He is playing well. It is a different ball game. He will have more time to get himself in. We have no doubt about his talent. We know that he is going through a little bit of a rough patch in white-ball cricket. We hope that he will come back to form," Hathurusingha said.