Mominul Haque won't be weighed down by 'unexpected' captaincy responsibility

Mominul, 28, took over the role ahead of the India tour, following Shakib's suspension. He said he was surprised to be chosen over other candidates, including senior players such as Mahmudullah (who was named limited-overs captain) and Mushfiqur Rahim. But, he is looking forward to the challenge of taking on the No.1 team in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings in two Tests, the first of which begins in Indore on 14 November.

"I was never ready [for captaincy] and it was totally unexpected," Mominul said in Dhaka. "I never thought that I would be captain of the Bangladesh team, the Test team. But however, I have got it.''

The left-hander was Bangladesh's best batsman in 2018, aggregating 673 runs from 15 innings at an impressive average of 44.86, including four hundreds. He is looking to carry the same mindset of scoring runs, rather than worrying too much about the leadership role.

"I never thought captaincy is any kind of extra pressure or responsibility because if I think that way, then certainly it will be extra pressure," Mominul said. "The way I've played before to score runs and play for the team, I am trying to play like that.

"If I worry too much [about captaincy] it will affect me. If I think I have a lot of responsibilities as the captain and I have to pull the team forward then certainly it will create some pressure. And if I play as if I have to make runs for the team just as a batsman, then probably it will not have the same effect.''

Mominul will lead Bangladesh in their first ever day/night Test, in the second game of the series at Kolkata's Eden Gardens from 22 November. He looks at it as a great opportunity, and is eager to walk out at the toss with India captain Virat Kohli, whom he rates as the best batsman across formats.

"I think this is a great opportunity. We have not played a Test under floodlights or with a pink ball before," he said. "There is a lot of thrill [going to toss with him] because I think he is the best player in the world and the No.1 batsman in all formats. If I think in that way then it will be quite exciting."