Simplicity in strategy and a specific amount of detachment helped Zakir Hasan make his debut memorable. The southpaw is just the fourth Bangladesh batter to attain a century on debut after Aminul Islam, Mohammad Ashraful and Abul Hasan. The effort even earned him a congratulatory message from India coach Rahul Dravid.
“I was trying to follow the way I bat in First Class cricket,” Zakir stated on Saturday. “I didn’t want to think [that] this is a big Test match. I tried to be as simple as possible. It was the same when I was in the nineties. I tried to follow the preparation and [have the same] concentration as I do in the nineties in First Class cricket. I was doing it every ball.”
The 173-run knock towards the visiting India-A facet helped so much, he acknowledged. “That innings provided me with a lot of confidence. A big score leading into a national call-up is certainly a turning point.”
The 24-year-old had made his worldwide bow almost 5 years in the past in a T20I match at residence towards Sri Lanka. That remained his sole outing on the world stage till the present Test, however the tag acquired then, of a T20 specialist, has caught on, regardless of him having scored greater than 1000 runs every within the final two First Class seasons.
On Saturday, Zakir demonstrated that whereas there are bursts of dynamism in his batting, none of it’s furiously hyperactive as is commonly seen within the shortest format. In the corporate of Najmul Hossain Shanto (67, 156b, 7×4), he ensured that the hosts didn’t lose a wicket within the opening session.
India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey stated {that a} wicketless first session didn’t induce panic.
“We knew the wicket would be easy as the game progresses,” he stated. “The focus was on being patient and hitting the right areas and creating opportunities. And take those when you even get a half-chance. We pulled it back by picking up six wickets in the next two sessions.”