Domingo sees payoff in the longer run with brave toss decisions

[Ulquiorra]

 

Bangladesh had a disappointing outing with the bat once again. © AFP

For a second time in two Test matches on this tour of India, Bangladesh made the ballsy call of batting first against a fast-bowling attack widely touted to be the best going around and were bundled out cheaply. Head coach Russell Domingo said the decision was not predicated on the qualities of the opposition but merely dictated by what the Kolkata pitch offered - decent pace and bounce to facilitate strokeplay.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 106 in under 31 overs and finished the opening day of the much-hyped Day-Night fixture trailing their hosts by 68 runs and will have to orchestrate a comeback, the likes of which this ground has seen before, over the next four days to level the series. Domingo, however, remained steadfast that his team would have to make brave decisions which will result in greater payoffs in the longer run.

"Bangladesh are not just here to serve balls to India," Domingo asserted. "I know everybody is hoping Bangladesh will bowl first and then they would get 450 plus. We felt that the best way to win this Test match was to try and bat first and we got to get used to doing that against good sides.

"It was a good wicket to bat on so we got no qualms on our decision to bat first. With three seamers and a spinner, we were hoping that if we could get a good first innings score batting first... when we started batting, it was bright sunshine on a good wicket. The first five or six overs it looked like the wicket was pretty flat, which may have seemed that it was a good decision to bat first. When we lost a few wickets, it must have looked like a bad decision to bat first. It is just the nature of the game.

"When you win the toss in India, doesn't mean we will bowl first because we are scared of getting bowled out. We are trying to make those brave decisions that will benefit us in the long run. There's going to be some hurt and disappointment now, but hopefully we can continue making those brave decisions and it will ultimately help us. It doesn't mean that since we batted badly, we have to take a bad decision like bowling first."

The Bangladesh head coach, however, opined that his team was on a sever short supply of confidence, resulting from recent off-field issues, the missed opportunity in the T20 series and the relentless efficiency of the No.1 Test team, who were far more experienced to the beats of Test cricket. "Firstly, it was not a 30-over all out wicket. There's no doubt that we didn't bat well enough," Domingo reasserted.

"There's lack of confidence. There's lack of experience against this type of attack week in, week out. It is a bit of mental, technical and confidence. We are facing some really world-class bowlers and coming short. We have to deal with a whole host of issues at the moment.

"There is a big difference between the two sides. If you look at the level of performance, there is a lot of differences at the moment. Whether it is batting or bowling, it's something we have to try to catch up. You look at the record of Virat Kohli who has 26 hundreds, all our batters made total 16 to 17 hundreds. So we are long way behind in terms of Test match cricket. If you look at the numbers of the two batting orders, the numbers and experience of their side, they put us in massive pressure," he concluded.