Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana thinks that the top order’s failure to keep going after getting off to a good start hurt them in the first T20I against India on Sunday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
India beat Bangladesh by seven runs. The visitors scored 118-3 in 16.2 overs, while the hosts only got to 115-5. Bangladesh was doing well, with a score of 52/2 after 8.3 overs. Then, the game got away from them, and India came back thanks to some good batting.
Bangladesh’s openers Shamima Sultana (17) and Shathi Rani (22) and one-down batter Sobhana Mostary (23) got off to good starts, but they couldn’t keep going like Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored an unbeaten fifty runs to help her team win.
“We should have scored at least 140 runs,” Nigar told reporters after the game. “Then it might have been harder for them.” “I believe we have what it takes. Since they have been on the national team for a long time, it is clear that there is promise. I think each player will have to find their own way out of this (bad patch). When a player starts off well, why would she quit when she gets to 25? “She has to play the rest of the game,” she said.
“You need to choose your shots with more care. I also think they might not be paying attention. If the skill is there, why wouldn’t there be performance?
“I think there wasn’t enough thought. When you’re on the national team, you’re already a skilled player, which is why you’re there. We always play, and the teachers put us in different situations to train us. Still, she asked, “Why can’t we do it?”
Sultana said she thought the more experienced players on the team should have done better. “Pressure can affect a person on an individual level when there are a couple of dot balls and then two more trying to beat that. It’s fine for those coming from the Under-19 level, but it’s upsetting to see from those who regularly play for the national team.
“Basically, where I bat, it’s my job to build up and end the games. Taking that into account, my run out is one of the main reasons why we don’t score a lot of runs against them.
“I think we played way too many dot balls in the middle over. “The wicket was low and slow, and it also turned, but we were still 20–25 runs short,” she said.
Deepti Sharma said after India won that the track was hard to bat on and that their experienced bowlers were better than their opponents.
“They did well during the powerplay and the middle overs. I think their young players did well, too, but we have bowlers with a lot of experience who know where to bowl in the middle overs, and we just stuck to our plan. “Of course, they can do well in the days ahead,” Deepti said.
“It wasn’t easy to hit because the pitch was slow and low, but we played based on what was going on. As a team, we got ready to bat. As a bowling team, they are very good and getting better with each match.
India will play Bangladesh in the next game on July 11 at the same place.
