Bangladesh Premier League Should be Credited for Bangla Tigers' ODI Upsurge, Says Sunil Gavaskar
Bangladesh have dazzled the cricket world with their performances. The World Cup rebuilt their status, the Pakistan whitewash elevated their confidence and now, a victory over India has enhanced Bangladesh's reputation.
They are dancing in the isles in Mirpur and why not, the Bangla tigers are roaring and making a lot of noise. Finally, after so many years Bangladesh are not only competing with the big boys of international cricket, they are giving them a proper hiding. (Team India 'Hurt' After Loss: MS Dhoni)
The World Cup rebuilt their status, the Pakistan whitewash elevated their confidence and now, a victory over India has certainly enhanced Bangladesh's reputation as one of the top ODI sides in the world. ÂÂ
Sunil Gavaskar, though, isn't surprised at the rise of the Bangla tigers. Gavaskar hailed the Bangladesh Premier League and credited it for the recent Bangladeshi surge. (Mustafizur can Surprise any Batsman: Mortaza)
"Bangladesh have improved because of the Bangladesh Premier League. The interactions with overseas players have helped the young Bangladeshis to hone their skills and become more confident."
"Over the last couple of years, Bangladesh have improved a lot", said Gavaskar to NDTV, "It is not a surprise that they won the first ODI against India." (Mustafizur Brings India Down to Knees)
Bangladesh, after opting to bat first, flayed the Indian pacers all over the park and then skittled out the Indian batsmen with furious pace and intensity. No wonder after the win, the supporters went into a frenzy.
When asked about whether this win was retribution for the World Cup defeat, Gavaskar said, " May be for the fans, but the players certainly don't think that way." (Dhoni, Mortaza Play Down On-Field Collison)
After losing the 2015 World Cup quarter-finals to India, the Bangladeshi fans created a furore about a few dodgy umpiring decisions that went India's way.
"Umpiring decisions can go wrong at the time", said the ex-India opening batsmen, "It's not a big deal and definitely shouldn't be an excuse. Even during the Pakistan series, a few decisions went Bangladesh's way."
Gavaskar may have refused to pay heed to the umpiring flaws but he agreed that there's a needle between the two teams since that game.
"Of course there's and extra-edge in the encounters between these two teams," said Gavaskar, "It's because the players are on level terms. At Test level, Bangladesh is not as confident but in ODIs they refuse to give an inch."