Former India national captain and current India Under-19 coach Rahul Dravid has said that he was impressed with the way Bangladesh’s national team progressed in the last couple of years.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the first semifinal of the ICC Under-19 World Cup, to be played between Sri Lanka and India, Dravid said that Bangladesh’s next target would be to do well outside their home turf.
“Bangladesh has had a terrific last couple of years, especially playing at home and in the shorter format of the game. They are a force to reckon with. In the last couple of years they have been absolutely exceptional.
“It has coincided with the fact that Shakib [Al Hasan], Mushfiqur [Rahim] and [Mashrafe Bin] Mortaza who now are a lot more senior. They are really stars in the international stage as well,” said Dravid.
Many believe that 2015 was Bangladesh’s most successful cricketing year. They beat teams like Pakistan, India and South Africa at home and also made it through to the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
The other major aspect was the addition of Mustafizur Rahman to the squad. The left-arm pacer has been creating waves around the world ever since his debut.
While Dravid is yet to see enough of Mustafizur, he believes that there are plenty of talented players in the pipeline for Bangladesh.
“I have not seen enough to comment but people tell me nice things about Mustafizur. I saw one or two boys in the Bangladesh A team in India. Some nice talents like Mahmudullah [Riyad] who has done well.
“The results tell me that the graph is going upwards, especially at home. I think their next challenge is to replicate these performances overseas for Bangladesh cricket,” he said.
Dravid’s India will take on Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today in the first semifinal.
