The recent victory of the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led Bangladesh cricket team over Shan Masood's Pakistan in the first Test at Rawalpindi has raised concerns for the Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team. India's former star cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina want Rohit Sharma to be wary of Bangladesh's ability to cause upset.
Bangladesh's victory rings warning bell for India
With an upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting on September 19, India will need to be cautious. The victory over Pakistan has boosted Bangladesh's confidence, and considering their previous success against India in a Test match, there is a possibility of another upset. Despite political challenges back home, the Bangladesh cricket team delivered a historic performance in the Rawalpindi Test. Mushfiqur Rahim played a crucial role, scoring 191 runs, while Shadman Islam, Litton Das, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz provided valuable support in the first innings.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan combined their talents to dismiss Pakistan for a total of 146 runs in the second innings. Their combined efforts yielded seven wickets. With a modest target of 30 runs to win, Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam displayed their batting prowess and chased down the target with ease.
Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh warns Rohit Sharma ahead of Bangladesh series
Meanwhile, both Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh agree that the same Bangladeshi players could pose a threat to India next month.
"Now, a team for Tests will be formed. Top players playing Duleep Trophy is a nice initiative by the BCCI. You get to know a lot of things when you play red-ball cricket. You cannot take Bangladesh lightly as they have a fine spin bowling attack and some good players who have done well for a long time. This series will be a fine match practice for the tour to Australia," ANI quoted Raina as saying.
Harbhajan Singh also found himself on the same page with Raina as he said that Bangladesh team can't be taken lightly going by their dominant show in the first Test against Pakistan.
"It will be a great series. Indian cricket team has been very capable and has potential. However, we can't strike through Bangladesh as well, they have beaten Pakistan in the first Test match against Pakistan. Sometimes, smaller teams perform well in matches," Harbhajan said.
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