Before leaving the country to play in the Champions Trophy, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto had expressed his goal of winning the title. However, proving that on the field is quite challenging. On Thursday (February 20), the Tigers will take on a strong Indian side in their opening match. Ahead of the match, Shanto remains optimistic.
On Wednesday (February 19), Shanto appeared at a press conference ahead of the India match. During this, he said, “Our team is well-balanced in this format. We believe that we can defeat any team in this tournament. Every team has the potential to win the title. I am not someone who thinks too much about the opposition. If we can execute our plans properly, we can beat any team on any given day.”
Shanto emphasized executing their plans against India. He said, “If you notice, all eight teams are of high quality. We have good memories against India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, and recently, we have won several matches against them. We had a good memory of playing against India at home last year (actually in 2022). But that is in the past now. If we play well tomorrow and implement our plans, it will be a good match.”
Speaking about the wicket and conditions, the Tigers’ captain said, “We have to adapt to both venues. This wicket is not as high-scoring as in Pakistan. We played a Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, so we can estimate how the wicket will behave. Wherever we play, we must adapt to the conditions. We don’t want to think of the wicket as something difficult. The boys are eager to perform well at both venues. Wherever we play, a lot of supporters come. Whether we win or lose, the fans are part of the game. I hope they will come tomorrow as well and support us.”
