Fresh from steering Bangladesh to their first-ever T20I win over India on Sunday, wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim on Monday said he looks forward to wrapping the three-match series in the second outing at Rajkot on Thursday. "We have come here to compete in each and every game. As long as you are playing consistent cricket and improving in each game – that is our main goal. After winning this game, we are surely looking forward to winning another game, hopefully, the next game,” he told reporters here.
“We had nothing to lose coming into this game and the whole series, so that gives us a great cushion and the freedom to play to our potential and a fearless brand of cricket," Mushfiqur said. Mushfiqur, however, is far from complacent after Sunday’s win in Delhi and said his team needed improvement in fielding and bowling in order to clinch the series.
"We won but there are a couple of areas we can improve in. In the last two overs, we gave away a couple of easy boundaries to them. We also need to close well with the ball. If we improve in those areas and play much better than what we did tonight, then I think there is nothing impossible in the next game. We will try our level best to compete against India," he said.
Mushfiqur is a great learner. He cannot how Bangladesh had come agonizingly close to winning against India in T20Is in the past but have failed to cross the finishing line on each occasion, perhaps none more dramatic than the super 10 fixture of the ICC Men's World T20 Cup in 2016.
Bangladesh needed two runs off the last three balls in that match in Bengaluru but lost back-to-back wickets to eventually fall short by one run. Rahim was a part of that finish in that match. But today, Mushfiqur said he is happy to be on the winning side on November 3. “It can happen to anyone. When you have a career of 10-15 years, you can have such matches. We've also stayed there till the end and closed out games and so that also adds to the confidence,” Mushfiqur said.
"As long as you're learning from the mistakes, that's the most important part. After that incident, I've been able to close the game on three-four occasions for Bangladesh in both T20Is and ODIs,” he added. Mushfiqur wants his side to reproduce all the good bits from their opening win against India in the rest of the series.
"It's a great moment for Bangladesh cricket because we had not won against them [India] in the T20 format before," he said. Mushfiqur commended the way the young players of Bangladesh have stuck together and the way the bowlers are bowling, especially against India. It's outstanding. They set up the game,” he said.