Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is sparing no effort to regain his form before the upcoming tour of India, which includes two Tests and three T20Is, starting with the first Test in Chennai on September 19.
Despite leading the Tigers to an impressive series win against Pakistan, where they secured their first-ever Test series victory over the hosts, Shanto struggled with the bat. After returning from the successful Pakistan tour on Wednesday night, most Bangladeshi players took a short break to relax with their families. Shanto, however, was an exception. He was back at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday, just a day after returning, and continued with an intense practice session under the guidance of head coach Sohel Islam.
Coach Sohel declined to disclose the specific technical adjustments they worked on to address Shanto's batting issues. However, Shanto's immediate return to training indicates his determination to improve his batting performance, having failed to score a half-century in his last nine Test innings. Shanto's last notable performance in Tests was in November 2023, when he scored 105 against New Zealand in the second innings of the first Test in Sylhet. Since then, he has reached double figures in only four of his nine Test innings. Bangladesh faces a tougher challenge in India, where they will be touring for the first time for a bilateral series since 2019. The batters are expected to be tested by a more formidable and well-rounded bowling attack than Pakistan's. The Tigers hope to see Shanto excel as a batsman in India, complementing his already praised captaincy skills.
