“Shakib [has] always played a huge part in Bangladesh cricket whenever he is available and playing well,” Hathurusinghe said. “I mean obviously he gives us the luxury to balance the team the way we want, whether we want to play extra bowlers or extra batsmen because of his all-round capabilities. So he gives that adaptability as well as a huge experience.
“He is probably one of the longest international players going around and then he is coming from playing countless matches and he is in good shape. So he brings a lot into the team, not only his skill set but otherwise as well.
“And, Miraz, I would say he is the most improved Bangladesh cricketer for the last five to six years. He is ready to take over whenever Shakib moves out. I think he has developed his batting and obviously his bowling has always been, his strength, his No.1. Now I think he has improved his batting as well and on the field, he is a gun fielder.”
Bangladesh have played three Tests in India and lost all three (two by an innings). Hathurusinghe is hopeful they will present a stiffer challenge this time around.
“I think this is probably the most well-rounded team that Bangladesh has produced in my previous time and this time,” he said. “We’re covering a lot of bases, we’ve got good fast bowlers, we’ve got a really experienced spin attack and then the batting, we actually have good depth because of two reasons.
“One is that two of our spinners [Shakib and Mehidy] are genuine batters who got Test hundreds and then two of our wicketkeepers [Litton Das and Mushfiqur] are our main batters. So our balance of the team in this series is really, really good and that gives us actually a lot more confidence that we can be competitive in this series.”
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