Ahead of the fourth day's play in Kanpur, it seemed as if Bangladesh were in a comfortable situation to try and bat for the bulk of the day, or even the entirety of it. However, the Indian bowlers came to the party and despite Mominul Haque scoring a gritty ton, the visitors could only end up on 233. What followed was absolute mayhem as India took charge of the Bangladeshi bowlers to rack up 285 for the loss of nine wickets before declaring and turning Bangladesh into bat for a grueling 11-over spell till Stumps.
Bangladeshi all-rounder, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, expounded on how his side were caught off guard on the field via the power-packed display by the Indian batting order.
"Actually, they played with a good plan and yes, I was surprised. After two to three overs, we were thinking that they had a plan. We just played to our strength and tried to restrict the damage to our innings. In Test cricket, you can see different scenarios, and the way the game turned out it, looked like T20 cricket. They planned to come here and play for the win and everyone from top to bottom played for runs and we tried to squeeze the runs," stated Mehidy, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
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We will try to bat for a long time tomorrow: Mehidy
Mehidy also discussed the exact pedagogy his side should follow on the final day of the Test and also provided clarity on what they could do to make it a contest where they might end up on the winning side of things against hosts India.
"It's up to us to take the opportunity as the wicket is good for the batters. I think it'll be challenging but if the batters can bat well for one session, certainly, it will be a positive sign for us. We need more time if we want to play for a win. We have one day left, we'll have to give them a target and then take 10 wickets. For now, our safety is more important than thinking about a win from here. We'll try to bat for a long time tomorrow. If such a situation arises, then we may play to win. We're thinking about ourselves first," added Miraz.
Mehidy lamented the fact that neither he nor the team backed the centurion from the other end, and credited Mominul's frame of mind for being able to convert his knock to a big score.
"The first innings is very important for Tests and Mominul bhai really batted well, we could not give him support, and if we would have given him support, in that case, the game could have been different and it would have been better for us. Mominul's selection of the ball was very good and he really played well after a while, and I feel the temperament was very good and that is why he could score runs," added Mehidy.
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Mehidy looked good during his 42-ball stay at the crease but had to walk back after poking one to first slip. He would have to play a more composed knock on Day 5 to let Bangladesh have any chance of salvaging a draw against a breezy Indian bowling attack which would be looking for wickets from the first ball of the final day.
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