In the ongoing Kandy Test against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh have lost 15 wickets so far, and of them, 13 went to the Lankan spinners. The Lankan spinners put Bangladesh on the backfoot.

Bangladesh batsman Najmul Hossain Shanto said they should play spin better if they really want to shine in Tests. In both innings of the Kandy Test, Shanto fell prey to the spinners. In the first innings, he was haunted by Ramesh Mendis, and in the second, he got dismissed by Praveen Jayawickrama.

“It was tough to play against spin in this sort of tracks,” Shanto said in a virtual press conference after the day’s play. “There was much more spin than usual, but if we want to play Tests, we should play spin better.”

Also read: Tigers have mountain to climb to save Kandy Test

The first Test of the series ended in a draw when the bowlers got nothing from the wicket. A total of 17 wickets fell in the first game at the same venue. So it was expected that the hosts will provide a better wicket in the second match.

“It’s normal that the bowlers will get substantial help from the wicket on the fourth day of a Test match. Most of us have had a good start to their innings but we failed to carry on. Had we lost three wickets, we would have a good chance in this game,” Shanto added.

At the end of day four, Bangladesh need to score 260 in 98 overs to win this game or bat the entire day to save it with only five wickets in hand. Shanto believes that if Bangladesh can bat for two sessions without losing a wicket, they have something to get from this Test.

Also read: Sri Lanka set 437 for Bangladesh to win in Kandy

“We still have two batsmen in the wicket. If we can bat well in the first two sessions, we have something to think about this game,” he further added.

In the first innings of the first Test, Shanto hit his maiden ton Test. But in the next two innings, he suffered a duck each before coming up with 26 in the third. His inconsistency cost Bangladesh a lot.

“The important thing for me is not to be too happy because of success or not to be too broken because of failure. I have done badly in the last two innings after a good one. I failed to play a longer innings despite having a good start today (Sunday). I am not worried about these things much. I rather am looking forward to doing well when I get the next chance,” Shanto added.