The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has cleared the suspense over Shakib Al Hasan's participation in the upcoming Test series against India in India.
The BCB director Nazmul Abedin has confirmed that though Shakib will not be a part of Bangladesh's preparatory camp for the India series, he will be a part of the squad that will travel to India for the bilateral series.
Notably, Bangladesh's preparatory camp will begin on Monday, September 9 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
"Shakib will come to India from England to play," Abedin told Cricbuzz. "For now we know this much and we want to keep it that way. There is no injury problem as far as I know. Hopefully, the whole team will be available. Shakib has gone to play County and I am hoping everyone else will be available. From September 9, the whole team is expected to practice in full swing."
The BCB director also mentioned that India would look at Bangladesh differently after their historic Test series win over Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
"India will appreciate Bangladesh more than ever. They will try to play with a little more planning. They (India) may not see Bangladesh the way they used to see before," he said.
"I think India are a little stronger compared to Bangladesh. So whether we can play with the mentality we had against Pakistan, whether we can keep that going consistently, will be a challenge for us. The pressure we were able to apply against Pakistan it may not be as easy against India. There we have to be more consistent and show more patience. But self-confidence is very important," he added.
"If we can hold it (the pressure), we have the ability to do good. Especially the power I saw in our bowling. If we can use it, then we have a good chance. We will dominate more than ever," he mentioned.
No alarm bells for Chandika Hathurusingha as head coach
The BCB director also confirmed that Chandika Hathurusingha will be Bangladesh's head coach for the India series and will travel alongside the rest of the squad for the multi-format series.
"The head coach will come, and he will be here in Bangladesh (and will guide the team against India)," Nazmul told Cricbuzz.
Earlier, the newly appointed BCB president Faruque Ahmed had voiced his opinion against Hathurusingha.
