18 October - Pune - Bangladesh Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe pre-match press conference
[Reporter:]
The first question has to be about Shakib Al Hasan. We saw him doing some long batting session actually yesterday and then some running. How is he feeling now and is he ready to go?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
He had a good batting session yesterday and did a little bit of running between the wickets. We did a scan today, so we are waiting for the results. At the moment he is okay. We haven't tried with bowling yet. So, he will come tomorrow morning and we will assess him again and then make a decision.
[Reporter:]
If he is not 100% then what will be the situation?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
If he is not ready to play, we won't risk him. But if he's ready, then there's a chance of him playing tomorrow.
[Reporter:]
Batting is a major concern for Bangladesh in this World Cup. So, it looks like it is a very batting-friendly track. So how do you prepare yourself for this kind of wicket?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
Yeah, this wicket is probably the best batting wicket we came across so far. And even the practice wickets were similar, really good. We had a really good net session yesterday. As you rightly said, we haven't put up complete batting performance, or to that matter, complete performance with the ball and bat so far. So, we are expected to do as a complete performance. And we know that when we play as a team and we perform to our capabilities and we have beat big teams. We have done well in the past. So, I think fingers crossed, we are due for one of those days.
[Reporter:]
This has been a week of upsets in the World Cup and Bangladesh has had a pretty good record against India if you consider the last 12 months or so, they beat them in a one-day series 2-1 and then the Asia Cup. So, it's 3-1 between the two World Cups. So, how much does that inspire the team in the sense of having lost two matches in the World Cup? That's question number one.
And question number two is, do you think the dependence on matchups, is it hurting the batting order in the sense that Tawhid is batting, Tawhid Hridoy is batting at seven sometimes, you had Shanto off his position. They said that they haven't complained about it, but you think sometimes even for young players batting out of position can be a little difficult?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
The first one is that we have had success in recent past against India, but then when you come to the World Cup it's a very different game altogether. As I said, we are hoping that we will have a complete game against them, that we need to perform to our potential and India is probably the in-form team this World Cup and if they have not so good game and if we play to our potential, I think it's going to be a good game for us and we are capable of doing that. We have proved so that confidence and that memory is going to serve us well to start [well] at the start. So, we need to start well.
Coming back to the batting order, the batting order, we go by according to our strategy as well as what we think is the best combination for that game. Those things that we have communicated to the players very well in advance. We have trained the way we wanted to play as well. And as you rightly said, no one has complained. There are successes and there are sometimes it does not work. So, we are going to stick to our plan for this World Cup.
[Reporter:]
Are you missing Tamim Iqbal in your top order?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
He is not here, so I can't answer that whether we are missing him or not. Unfortunately, he was not ready the time we were selecting. So obviously his record as a player is good, but the same thing is I don't know whether we are missing him or not, because we have players that here we have trusting that they will do a job for us.
[Reporter]
What will be the bowling plans? Is there any new inclusions in the XI?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
Yeah, we have a plan against India. Probably we have a different combination according to the wicket as well as the opposition.
[Reporter:]
Considering the boundaries and the wicket, what will be the ideal combination for tomorrow's game?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
Ideal combination on a wicket like this, you need to have an extra bowling option, because wicket is going to be good, and India is a very strong batting lineup. So that's one consideration we are thinking of.
[Reporter:]
One year back it seems like the team is settled and they are focused about their game, they are motivated about the World Cup. But I don't know, is it too early to say, but after the three games it seems that they are disappointed about their performance and their team is not settling, the batting order is not settled. Do you feel the same that the team is not settled as it was one year back?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
I don't think this team is unsettled. We are not performing to our expectations and I know definitely players wanted to do better than what they have been doing. As I said before, we haven't had a complete performance with the batting group. Some games some perform and we haven't put complete batting performance yet. So hopefully this game, because we got a really good pitch to bat on, and we are expecting them to have a good complete batting performance tomorrow.
[Reporter:]
Apart from Shaqib, is everyone else fit and available for selection?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
That's right. Yeah, everyone is available for selection.
[Reporter:]
And just one other question, if I may. What has impressed you about India so far? Where do you see them being particularly strong going into tomorrow's game?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
I think every area they have covered. They got strike bowlers up front. Bumrah is almost come to his best as good as we have seen in the past. And they have good spinners, experienced spinners going in the middle overs. And their batting, especially the top order is firing and it's scary the way they are playing at this stage without much fear and it looks like they are enjoying their cricket at the moment and their home World Cup and there is a lot of support. So, I think overall it's a really good team.
[Reporter:]
Will you leave it to the captain to take the final call whether he plays tomorrow or not?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
Any injury situation, first, it's the medical staff. They give us their opinion. And either they're green light or red light. They give us education on what the players are, where the players are at. And then if they think that there's no risk and that the player get the choice of playing the game or not, then it comes to captain and the coach to think that is that a risk in terms of playing, in terms of tactically, whether if it is not 100% or you can do one discipline or both discipline. Yeah, that's how the process works.
[Reporter:]
India has not yet batted first in this World Cup. How do you see your chances of winning against India? What would you like to do if you win the toss?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
I'm actually not playing, so my captain will decide that. Whether it's bat first or bat second, it all depends on the conditions. As well as - yeah, if you win the toss, we will decide what's best for us. We don't go by what India is good at or they're not good at. We will look at our competence on that.
[Reporter:]
Bangladesh beat India in the World Cup back in 2007. There has been some 11, 15, 19, there have been losses. And obviously, 2016 was another incident in the T20 World Cup. But does these incidents or these matches, does this inspire the team to think about it that we have to beat India? We haven't done that in a long time.
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
I don't think that has any relevance when we come tomorrow. It's about tomorrow's game. We are all motivated to win every game from now on. Because of what happened in this recent last two weeks, or last week or so, in this World Cup, it's really open. So, we are all inspired by that. And then we have six games to go. And we still think that we can win those six games. That's the motivation and then the inspiration for us to come tomorrow.
[Reporter:]
Just one last thing. Tanzim, Shakib, Nasum, and Mahedi, they did well against India in that one game at the end, the Asia Cup match, where Bangladesh beat India. So, do they have any chance, any one of them, like they have done well against India, they probably know how to beat India, so is there a chance to bring up any one of them in the 11?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
If they know how to beat India, I will definitely ask them how to do that. But they have done well against India that game. We will consider all that tomorrow. Any hint or any ideas that you all know; I am willing to listen.
[Reporter:]
Are you satisfied with the Bangladesh pace unit, like how they performed in the last three matches and do you think their pace unit will be the key in tomorrow’s match?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
Yeah, you're right to say that Bangladesh's fast bowling unit can be key tomorrow, given the conditions of this wicket. And they have done well in the past, so if you consider that and their performance in the last two or three games, probably they are the ones who will say that they haven't done enough or they are not happy with it. And they have spoken about it. They can do better than that because they have done in the past.
[Reporter:]
Sanjaya Manjrekar, you know him very well, I think. He said that it is impossible for Bangladesh if they deliver their 100% or more to beat India, despite Bangladesh had beaten India from last December to September thrice in four times. So, do you think that Bangladesh is in such a bad condition to beat India if they give their 100% in the next match?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
I can only ask my team to do 100% and our best. And then after that I have little control of what the outcome is. But if we do well to our potential, I think we can beat any team.
[Reporter:]
Do you think it is the ideal surface for someone like Litton Das who is a very good timer of the ball?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
This wicket, I think it's a very good wicket for any good batsman. It's a challenge for the batters, any cricketer, first 10 balls, first 20 balls. I think anyone getting in is silly to not score runs or just throw wicket away. Getting a start is a key. They have good bowlers and we have good bowlers so anyone who gets to a start on this wicket I think will hurt any opposition.
[Reporter:]
You're from a very lovely part of the subcontinent, Sri Lanka. It's a lovely country, but now you're coaching Bangladesh, where emotions run high, India as well. I heard a good thing that you haven't learned the language yet, so probably you'll stay away from all the drama that happens in the media and the television.
But how are you handling just that general chaos and the passion of Bangladesh coming from Sri Lanka?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
The passion, That's the beauty of cricket, isn't it? That is this part of the world. And that's why we all here and I love that. And it's not going to affect me, because I'm doing a job. I can't be emotional and do my job. And my job is to keep the emotion away and give the players the best opportunity to prepare for the game. But we enjoy the passion and they are same all over the subcontinent.
[Reporter:]
There was lots of rubbish going on two or three years before, the Mauka, Mauka and all that. So, there was a bit going on between the two teams, especially the fan side. So, are you kind of a coach to use that to motivate your players, come on, you got to do it against India? Or you are the type, don't get into all that, just take care of all the drama. Which type of coach are you?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
I think Bangladesh journalists have heard this from before from me. I mean, if you're not motivated to play for your country, you don't need any other motivation. So, he shouldn't be here.