Sports Desk:

Bangladesh are going into their Champions Trophy opener against India in Dubai on Thursday  hoping that their fastest bowler Nahid Rana, who is set to make his first appearance in an ICC event, unleashes his full fury.

The Tigers are without ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and in the stalwart’s absence, it is Rana who is garnering all the attention. Even during Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto’s pre-match press conference on Wednesday questions from the Indian media contingent also centered around Rana’s raw pace.

Shanto was optimistic about the vibe Rana creates in the Tigers’ dressing room. If the Tigers are to make headway into the tournament and upset the bigger sides, they would need Rana to be at the top of his game.

“I think in the last few matches, he bowled really well and bowled fast, as you mentioned. When we see bowling like this, it helps our whole bowling unit. And it’s motivated us to think about how we can challenge our opponents. But what I want is that he [Rana] remains fit and continue his bowling form,” Shanto said.

This reporter caught up with the speedster after Bangladesh’s practice session at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai on Wednesday and told Rana about the hype he is creating. Unable to hide his curiosity, Rana enquired, “So what were they asking about?”

He listened to remarks from the press conference and would be hoping to put a dent in India’s batting lineup when he gets the chance.

It might be hard to believe that only three matches into his ODI career, Rana is creating such a buzz in a major tournament. But with 20 Test wickets to his name in six matches, Rana has turned heads fast, clocking 152 kph in Rawalpindi during his last foray in Pakistan, the hosts of the Champions Trophy. His fifer in the West Indies recently helped the Tigers to a first historic Test win since 2009.

Playing this Champions Trophy against the biggest opponents in white-ball cricket certainly would charge up the speedster.

“The opportunity to play against the best cricketers in the world is the highest form of inspiration,” Rana said in an interview with ICC.

He also argued that his time playing first-class cricket has gotten him ready for the challenges ahead.

“I am enjoying every moment of international cricket. Things have happened very fast but I’m grateful for everything. It is never easy to adapt to international cricket but I was lucky in the sense that I got to play a good number of first-class matches before my debut.

“I feel that is the best thing that could have happened as you get exposed to all sorts of different situations and conditions. But international cricket is totally on a different level,” Rana added.

Rana is adamant about maintaining discipline, which would be key in the batting-friendly surfaces in the tournament.

“The team expected me to bowl fast and used me as an attacking option. I tried to repay the faith by sticking to my strengths and staying humble.

“I would rather concentrate on getting into the right rhythm and my release. But then again, when you see or hear that the pace is around 150 kph, that’s a nice feeling,” he said.

Rana appears to know exactly what the Tigers expect from him and it is time for him to live up to the hype that has been built surrounding him.