Bangladesh fielding coach Nic Pothas, ahead of their third T20I against India, have claimed that the hosts are the world's best cricket team. This comes on the back of a chastening tour where they've lost all the games so far.
Najmul Shanto & Co. headed to India after a historic win in Pakistan in the red-ball format. Bangladesh beat Pakistan 2-0 in the two-match Test series, scripting their first-ever Test win over the continental rivals. With the confidence soaring high, they hoped to take something from the India tour, too.
However, Rohit Sharma's India recorded a whitewash (2-0) victory in the two-match Test series. In the T20I series that followed, Suryakumar Yadav-led team are leading 2-0 with one game to spare.
And the Bangladesh fielding coach has lauded the Indian cricket team in his press conference ahead of the final T20I in Hyderabad. The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium will host the 3rd T20I on Saturday, October 12.
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What did Bangladesh fielding coach Nic Pothas say on team India?
Pothas called India as the 'world's best team'. Pothas was brutally honest about the difference in level between India and Bangladesh, calling the tour to be an 'honest' learning curve for his players.
"When you look at the bowling and batting, one thing India will always do to you is put you under immense pressure due to the level of skill they have. India lets you know where you have to improve," Pothas stated ahead of the 3rd T20I in Hyderabad.
"We are very fortunate to be touring India because you can get a lot of learning done. And the learning has to be honest," the South African insisted.
The Bangladesh coach has urged his boys to play the game according to the real-time situation, while 'absorbing pressure' for longer time-period by learning from India.
"The learning is how do you absorb pressure for longer periods of time? How do you read the game better under pressure for longer periods of time? But most importantly is how do you prepare? And that has to evolve, that has to change all the time," he added.
He concluded the segment by calling India as the world's best team, hailing their prowess in all formats of the game. The 50-year-old also called it his 'privilege' to play in India.
"But it is a privilege to play in India because when you play in India because when you play the world's best team, they help you understand where you need to improve," he concluded.
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Why did Bangladesh struggle in India?
The 50-year-old coach called 'underperforming batters' to be the main reason for Bangladesh's heavy defeats in the ongoing tour. Both in Tests and T20Is, the batters failed to live upto the coach's expectations.
"We are playing against a phenomenal opposition in their own country. Yes, we have some experience along the way but I agree with you, from a batting point of view, we have underperformed according to our expectation," Pothas claimed.
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What are the results of IND vs BAN tour so far?
| Match | Match Result | Venue | Bangladesh Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Test | India won by 280 runs | Chennai | LOSS |
| 2nd Test | India won by 7 wickets | Kanpur | LOSS |
| 1st T20I | India won by 7 wickets | Gwalior | LOSS |
| 2nd T20I | India won by 86 runs | Delhi | LOSS |
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