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Former Pakistani batter Basit Ali took a dig at Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto following his team's seven-wicket defeat to India in the recently concluded Kanpur Test on Tuesday, October 1. With the win, the Rohit Sharma-led side completed a 2-0 whitewash over the visitors.
Basit suggested that Shanto had boldly claimed that Bangladesh were looking to win 2-0 against India. He cheekily remarked that he might have thought that they were playing another series against Pakistan.
The cricketer-turned-expert emphasized that India's domination against Bangladesh also proved their supremacy over Pakistan. In a video shared by Basit on his YouTube channel 'Basit Ali,' he said (from 0:56):
"Shanto had said Bangladesh would beat India 2-0. Maybe he thought that they were facing Pakistan again. It is painful to say that Bangladesh's Tests against Pakistan went till the last day and India finished it in two days. This shows you the difference between India and Pakistan. This is the reality and you must accept it."
It is worth mentioning that ahead of the India series, Najmul Hossain Shanto stated that Bangladesh's goal will be to play well for five days and take the match to the final session.
"They are well ahead of us in the rankings, but we did play well recently. We want to play well for five days, that's our goal. We want to get the result in the last session of the Test match. At that time, the match can go in any direction. It is an opportunity [to get our first win in India]. We will play with a win in mind. But we don't want to think too far ahead," he had said in the press conference (via Hindustan Times).
"It will be a challenging series but we have the extra confidence from the Pakistan series. I guess the whole country has that confidence now. Every series is an opportunity. We want to win both Tests, but we have to stick to our process. If we do our job, we can get a good result."
Bangladesh came into the India series with their confidence soaring high. The side scripted history with a 2-0 whitewash against Pakistan in their own backyard, their first-ever Test series victory against the Men in Green. However, they failed to replicate their success on Indian soil, suffering back-to-back losses.
"Had this match ended in a draw, BCCI would have taken a very strict action" - Basit Ali on Kanpur Test
The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) came under the scanner for their failure to dry out the wet outfield during the Kanpur Test. On the opening day, stumps were called early due to rain.
Day 2 and Day 3 had to be called off without a ball being bowled due to rain and wet outfield. India went all out with their attack once the play resumed on the fourth day, attempting to force a result.
They were ultimately successful in their plan, declaring at 285 for nine in just 34.4 overs, and then chasing down a 95-run target in 17.2 overs to secure a famous seven-wicket victory.
In the aforementioned video, Basit Ali reckoned that the UPCA would be relieved with the result. He opined that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would have taken strict action against the association had the Test ended in a draw.
Basit remarked (from 2:56):
"The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association will be very happy with the result as they got saved because of it. Had this match ended in a draw, BCCI would have taken a very strict action."
Prior to Pakistan's home Test series against Bangladesh, Basit had stated that only rain could save Bangladesh. He pointed out that while Pakistan let him down with his prediction, India proved that even rain could not save Bangladesh.
On this, Basit added (from 7:09):
"Even rain could not save Bangladesh. I had said it before the Pakistan series as well. The Pakistan team proved me wrong but India showed that I was right."
India and Bangladesh will now compete in a three-match T20I series. The first match will be played at New Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior on Sunday, October 6.
