Sports Desk:

Bangladesh leg spinner Rishad Hossain said on Saturday that they are confident they can clinch the three-match T20 series against India.

Bangladesh will take on India in the three-match T20 series following the ongoing Test series and according to the in-form leg-spinner they can take confidence from the fact when they play as a team they earn success against any opponent.

“India are always a good team and they are the number one-ranked team in T20 and we hope to do well against them and are trying to prepare that way and no one is thinking that we cannot win the series and Insha’Allah we will win the series,” Rishad told reporters on Saturday.

“If you see when we play as a team, we did well in the World Cup, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka series and we can play as a team we can hope that we can win the series against them,” he said adding that he is not losing his sleep over wicket as he feels they are prepared to take any challenge that lies ahead.

“We know that wicket is not in our hand so whatever condition we are in we have to play adjusting to it and perform accordingly,” he said.

Rishad said that he is not losing his sleep over playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while added that he hopes to play some matches in the upcoming Big Bash League for Hobart Hurricanes.

Rishad was picked by Hurricanes for the forthcoming season but as the tournament coincides with Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), chances are high that he will not play in the Big Bash despite being picked by Hurricanes for the whole season.

“I am not thinking that far like IPL what I am thinking is that I need to focus on the upcoming assignments that I will play for the country. I will try to play well there but Allah is the one who will provide me opportunities,” he said.

“As far as a dream is concerned it is not like a dream but everyone feels that he will be happy if he can play in the IPL and I also have the same desire but having said that it is not a fact that I will have to play. I am hopeful that I will play Insha’Allah,” he said adding that he was not over the moon while being picked by Hurricanes.

“Every opportunity makes you feel good but I was not excited to be honest (being picked in the BBL) and if I get the chance I will try to do well,” said Rishad.

“I am hoping to play in the Big Bash but at the same time there is BPL so as the two tournaments will be played simultaneously will have to see how it goes but I am hoping that I will get the opportunity to play a couple of matches in the Big Bash,” he said adding that he is improving one or two per cent in his batting as he is aware that he needs to showcase his talent with the willow as well to survive in the cutthroat competition.

“I am trying to improve my batting every day by one to two per cent and I hope that with passing days I will develop myself (as a batsman),” he said.

“We are practising with a purpose like who will bat in which situation and who will bat at what point and in what number we will come to bat and hopefully it will be better than before,” he said adding that they are confident that they can over the gap of Shakib Al Hasan though he was disappointed to hear that he is quitting from T20I and Test.

“We haven’t thought like that (who will replace the all-rounder) because Shakib took such a decision it is disappointing for us and we will try to cover that (his gap) in the coming days,” he said.

“We have four to five spinners in the pipeline and we are discussing what we can do and how we can cover his place in the coming days,” he added.

Rishad added that he feels his 14-wicket haul in the last edition of T20 World Cup is a matter of the past and needs to leave it behind and look forward.

“What I have one in the World Cup it won’t come back but I will try how to do better than that trying to prepare that way and as the India series is ahead,” he said. “That is the truth (T20 World Cup performance is a matter of the past) I have to leave it behind as I cannot see that and improve to do better than that,” he concluded.