Just ahead of the second Test commencing at the Green Park Stadium here on Friday, Bangladesh veteran all-rounder Sakib Al Hasan opined pitches don't hold much importance when they play against strong teams like India.
India crushed Bangladesh by 280 runs in the first Test of the two-match series in Chennai and ensured that their home run in the red-ball format was set to continue. With an eye on the series sweep, India will look to remain unbeaten before taking on New Zealand in a three-Test series next month.
"They have been doing well outside India as well. Any country that came to India finding it a little tough, we are no different there. But having said that, we have to play really well against them to be able to show the fight that we feel like we can put on," Sakib said on Thursday.
Adding that strong teams do have bases covered for any situation that may arise in the match, he added: "When you play against a team like India, Australia, England, pitches don't matter much because they will obviously have their weapon with which they can attack us.".
"They will have quality spinners, they will have quality fast bowlers, they will have quality batsmen. So, I don't think the pitch will have any effect. It's just we have to perform better than what we have done in Chennai," he added.
Shakib further went on to talk about India's Test supremacy that has kept them unbeaten at home since 2012. "If you look at other countries, every now and then they will lose one or two games. But in India, you hardly see them losing in Test matches. So yes, I would say you are right," said the all-rounder.
"We won against them in the ODI series in Bangladesh, we were very close to winning a game against them in a Test match in Bangladesh. In Test cricket, we haven't got the success that we are looking for. Tomorrow we will have another opportunity," he remarked.
Reflecting on their loss in the series opener, Shakib Al Hasan said they did not bat according to their potential. "I thought in patches we played really well in Chennai. But having said that, finishing the match in three-and-a-half days wasn't ideal for us. We felt like we were a better team than that. So, we need to show that in tomorrow's match," Shakib said.
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