'You've got one chance to cash in': Donald urges batters to be more proactive in 1st innings

Bangladesh fast bowling coach Alan Donald stressed upon the requirements of batting with a positive mindset in the second and final Test against India, stating that the Tigers should follow the batting template of the second innings in Chattogram.

The home side lost the Chattogram Test by 188 runs, paying the price of their shaky batting approach in the first innings, in which they were dismissed for just 150 runs. But in the chase of an improbable 513-run target, Bangladesh's batting approach was positive in the second innings as they put up 324 before being all out.

The second Test, which starts tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka is crucial for Bangladesh, for not only drawing the series but also ending the year on high.

"We want to win. It doesn't matter where you play India, you put that in your highest order of achievements. We know 150 didn't cut it for us. We have spoken about the values of our partnership. We need to be much more resilient, which we showed in the second innings. We are desparate to win. A lot of people including me want to go home for a delayed Christmas with a win under our belt," Donald said here today.

"You got one chance to cash in. You win the toss, hopefully bat first, and make 350 or 380. I am guessing what the value of that first innings score might be. Pitch looks fairly dry so you have to cash in in the first innings. It is your only chance to set the Test match up in the first innings," he added.

Bangladesh's second innings batting in the Chattogram Test was led by debutant Zaiir Hasan who showed that a positive mindset in batting always works well in any condition.

"The second innings batting is a blueprint for us. The young man has surprised many. It is the first time I have seen Zakir. I love his attitude, boldness and attacking mindset. He has come to play. He showed that he can take on the very best bowlers. He has been a terrific breath of fresh air. He backs himself," he added

But Donald rued for putting down a number of crucial catches in the first Test and said the fielding needs to be sharper if they want to give them a chance to win a Test against India.

"If we bowl, we have also shown that in the first innings when we had India 48 for three. We dropped a couple of tough chances but we cannot drop at this level. Then you get put to the sword," he said.

"When those chances come, you have to take it. The dropped catch by Ebadot (sorry Ebadot!) is the kind of mistake that we can't make. It takes such a long time to build pressure and be patient, resilient and creative, the game seems to be going nowhere. You just have to stick at it, and take that half-chance. That's the brutality of Test cricket. We have to be much more clinical in that area," he concluded.