There was a hint of MS Dhoni in Mahmudullah's captaincy: Irfan Pathan

Regarded as one of the coolest customers going around in the Bangladesh circuit, Mahmudullah was always mean to keep calm under pressure. Fans may remember Mahmudulla’s fancy shot selection that cost Bangladesh the all-important match in the 2016 WT20 against India where his team required just 2 off 3 balls.

Time has changed and so has Mahmudullah’s shot selection. During the post-match show on Starts Sports, Irfan Pathan said he saw glimpses of Dhoni’s captaincy in Mahmudullah. He was in all praise for him as he went on to compare his bowling change methodology with India’s all-time great’s.

Although India went on to win the second T20I of the series, Bangladesh scripted history, in the first T20I, as they went on to beat India in T20Is for the first time ever, that too in the absence of two Bangladesh cricket’s stalwarts, Shakib Al Hasan (due to two years ban) and Tamim Iqbal (opted out of the series due to personal issues).

In the post-match show, Pathan went on to say, “When you win a match against one of the best teams in the world, it helps in boosting your confidence and Mahmudullah had shown great qualities of a captain including the changes he made during the match.” He also added, “There was a hint of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his captaincy as he also used part-time bowlers after the power play which is a strategy often used by Dhoni.”

Harbhajan Singh thinks Mushfiqur Rahim and not Mahmudullah to be Bangladesh’s key

India’s most successful off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh said that Mahmudullah may be an important player for Bangladesh but their main man is Mushfiqur Rahim with all his experience and technique. Mushfiqur according to Harbhajan, has the right game that a player needs to have to adapt in slow and spinning tracks in India. Mushfiqur can play on the rise when there is pace in the wicket and can also play spin really well which makes him a dangerous player.

“Mushfiqur Rahim is a player with lot of experience, his ability to play both spin and pace bowling is great and he has the maximum responsibility in the Bangladesh squad in terms of batting which gives him an edge over Mahmudullah, who is also a good player for the Bangladesh team,” said Harbhajan.

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