The smoky air of Delhi that is leaving the sturdiest gasping for breath, eyes stinging and feeling spent most of the time, greeted the Bangladesh team as it arrived for Twenty20 and Test series in India on Wednesday evening.
It will be a tough series for the visitors as it is pitted against a strong, dominating Indian team, which recently whipped a higher-ranked South African team. The poor air is just one of the problems that the visitors will have to deal with. The team will miss the services of its dynamic and popular leader Shakib Al Hasan who is serving a two-year ban by ICC for not reporting three approaches by an alleged Indian bookie. Shakib's shock ban was preceded by an unprecedented strike by Bangladeshi players over multiple demands, including salary hike. The health of Bangladesh cricket was foremost on their mind.
All this happened within a spate of few weeks. The Delhi smog is just an additional challenge that the team has and will face in the month-long tour. The team arrived at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground for a two-hour long training session regardless of the alarming Air Quality Index levels and the dull, smoky sky.
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Litton Das, one of the few experienced players in the squad, emerged from team bus with a mask on. It brought back memories of the visiting Sri Lankan team taking the field with masks on during the Test match in Delhi in 2017. That had led to a demand for not holding matches in the national capital, particularly around this time of the year when the air quality is terrible.
However, Das brushed aside queries on whether the team had health concerns regarding playing in Delhi. “No, no. That was my own problem. I was not feeling too good at that time. But later on it was okay. I managed to bat without it.”
On taking on India in their own backyard without Shakib and seasoned campaigner Tamim Iqbal, Das said the team will undoubtedly miss them, especially Shakib, but the team has dealt with the all-rounder's absence in the past due to injury and were prepared to do so now too. “We will miss him (Shakib) definitely but we are looking forward to this series. Anything can happen in India. There are a number of newcomers in the side and players who are making a comeback. We are looking to them to contribute.”
There has been a lot on the Bangladeshis' plate, including the last-moment decision to play the second Test at Eden under lights. Bangladesh accepted the proposal put forward personally by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, despite having no experience of playing with the pink ball. On asked about the impending historic match, Das said, “Our focus at the moment is on the T20 series. We are not thinking of the pink ball match right now.”
Das added that the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli in the T20 series would not make much difference as India was a good side even without Kohli.
