About us

Bangladesh's skipper Shakib Al Hasan has said his team is keen to show how much it has improved when it takes on India, the top-ranked test side in cricket, in a two match series starting Sunday. "We have a very good chance," Hasan said on Saturday in Chittagong, which is 135 miles (216 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Dhaka. "We are improving. Hopefully, our boys will show their best." His comment came as Indian vice captain Virendar Sehwag dismissed Bangladesh as "an ordinary side" that has little chance of upsetting India in the series. "In one-day (cricket) they can surprise anybody but not in test matches. It's an ordinary side," Sehwag said Saturday. Bangladesh beat a weakened West Indies 2-0 in an away test series last year, but Sehwag said Bangladesh did not have the bowlers to put India's strong batting lineup under any real pressure. India's batting has been reinforced with the return of veterans Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Venkatsai Laxman, who were not part of the side that lost a tri-nation series to Sri Lanka in Bangladesh earlier this month. "The kind of batting lineup we have, I think it's difficult for Bangladesh to take 20 Indian wickets. Even Sri Lanka can't do that. So it's very, very difficult for Bangladesh," said Sehwag. India became the top-ranked team in test cricket when they beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in a home series last year. Bangladesh's coach Jamie Siddons said his side was keen to show how much they had improved. "We are not an extraordinary side. But we have proved in recent history that we are an improving side," Siddons said. The second test will begin in Dhaka on Jan. 24 .