Bangladesh skipper Mominul Haque has welcomed head coach Russell Domingo's prescription of structural changes as he believes that it can work out for the national team in the long run, reports Cricbuzz.
Domingo, after the second day's play in Indore, stated that structural changes are required in the system if Bangladesh wanted to do well in Test cricket that included segregating players for Test and Twenty20 cricket.
After a disappointing loss against India in the two-match Test series opener at Indore on Saturday, where hosts humiliated them by an innings and 130 runs, Mominul felt that it's high time to put all emphasis on forming format-based cricketers.
In the current Bangladesh set-up, apart from Mominul, there aren't any other cricketers considered as Test specialists, though there are a few in this squad who are regulars in Tests, but also play in the shorter formats. New coach Domingo had therefore insisted that he needs to sit with the captain to separate players for different formats as he had seen there are some cricketers more inclined to play the two shorter formats than Test cricket.
Mominul echoed the same sentiment while adding that it will take some time to reap the benefits in Test cricket from these kinds of structural changes. "If I have the chance to sit with the coach [for making plans of developing Test cricket by separating players for formats] then it's certainly a positive thing," he said after the loss on Saturday. "If that is the case, we won't benefit overnight as it will take some time. We will have to pass the [transitional phase] patiently... and then after two-three years, I think, we can expect a positive outcome.
"It will certainly work better [for the team] because if you are thinking about only one format then you will try to stay focused in that particular format and automatically work on those things [how to excel in that format]. I think that should be the way, but it will certainly take some time," he noted.
Mominul stated that lack of Test cricket is taking a toll on Bangladesh as the team takes some time to adjust to the format coming from long breaks. "I think we have to play a lot of Test matches. If you see in the last seven months, we played only one or two Test matches. We did not play enough Test matches like the other teams.
I think that's the main reason for our failure."
Mominul put the blame for the embarrassing loss on the batting camp, noting that the batsmen lacked patience at different junctures of their innings. "Of course it was threat [facing the Indian pace bowlers] but along with that I think we failed as a batting unit. They are now world's No. 1 bowling side with the three-man pace attack but at the same time we could not capitalise on our chances.
"The batting approach was right; I don't think it was [the case of] wrong batting approach. Maybe we just needed to realise that we had to bat patiently against this opponent because they deliver the loose ball so rarely. So, we should have played more patiently, the players who play in the top-order."
Mominul said Bangladesh is now focused on doing well in the day-night Test, the second and final one of the series, to be played at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Mominul felt his team is better prepared after Indore. "I think the swing we played against, I think there won't be more swing than that. I think there was enough swing and I think we have had a good practice already. Maybe we will have some challenges. We have to take those on positively."
Mominul felt the visitors have a shot at levelling the series given that both teams are new to pink-ball cricket. "Neither they, nor we have played with the pink-ball before, so I think it is a new opportunity. There's an excitement because we don't know when we will get to play with the pink ball again. So I think it is a new opportunity. We're excited."