India should not take Bangladesh 'lightly' says Pragyan Ojha

NEW DELHI: India is set to begin a two-match Test series against Bangladesh on September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. This series kicks off India's challenging 10-match Test season, which is crucial for their preparation for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia later this year. Bangladesh, fresh from a 2-0 victory against Pakistan, aims to continue their good performance.When asked about how does he see the importance of Bangladesh’s Test tour for India? Will it be competitive games or would it be a cakewalk for India?He said, "They are a sub-continent team and have good spinners. If you see, Mehidy Hassan has become the man of the tournament (in 2-0 win over Pakistan). The way he performed, he is a good batsman and a good spinner. Plus, Shakib is also there, so it won't be that easy. It will be tricky as to how the Indian team will play against them on a particular pitch."He continued, "I won't say that Bangladesh will challenge them; I will say that it will be a good fight. The way Bangladesh has defeated Pakistan in their home, they are moving in the right direction. When they come here, it will be a good series."The biggest thing is, the guys wishing to make a name for themselves - the way they will perform here, they will get in for Australia series. We know that Australia has not won the Border Gavaskar Trophy twice at home, and they would want for getting that thing right. So, this series of India against Bangladesh will build momentum for India. It's a very important series, and I don't think the team should take it lightly." he addedOn his thoughts of new head coach Gautam Gambhir, he replied, " He is a champion of a player. His thoughts will be crystal clear. He will say what he wants to say. Communication will be very straight with clarity in it. When you are on national duty, as a player, as a decision-making individual, you need clarity. Gautam Gambhir will give you that."On his thoughts on how would Rohit Sharma future in Mumbai Indians would look like, he said, " I think franchise cricket is a totally different cricket from state and international cricket, as the rules are completely different. But personally, if you ask me, I have seen Rohit Sharma grow to this kind of stature that he has. So I think if he continues with Mumbai Indians, it will be great, because Rohit Sharma has a lot of fans and sponsors, as they relate to him but it is up to the franchisee and the player, plus the rules. So we will have to wait and see. But personally, I always relate to Rohit Sharma, as he played for Deccan Chargers first and then for Mumbai Indians. I will always relate to him playing for Mumbai, as he is a Mumbai boy.On selection of star players in Duleep Trophy, he said, " See, domestic cricket is very important. If senior players play, it will have more relevance and value. Not just for domestic cricket, but also for the players who will play, because they will be ready. If you look at any country, if cricket is moving forward or being enhanced, it is happening because their domestic structure, and games are of high quality. You can look at Australia, South Africa, and England - the heart of their cricket is domestic cricket. It is good that some senior players are coming back and playing domestic cricket, which is very, very important.""When I was growing up, we used to wait for Venkatapathy Raju, VVS Laxman, or Mohammed Azharuddin to play domestic cricket. When they all used to play for Hyderabad, they had the experience of international cricket, which was a means at that time. Now IPL has come, there are a lot of opportunities. But now it becomes a motivational factor for young players." he addedOn the two players who can follow in the footsteps of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, he said, " I think there are a lot of players. If you talk about senior players, I am really glad that Rishabh Pant has come back, as he’s someone who has left his mark in Test cricket and the knocks he’s played, I am really looking forward to seeing him come back. Along with him, there are Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.These are the players I am really looking forward to. Dhruv Jurel is also a player whose performance and attitude are fearless. I am really glad that all these players have taken the team forward. If we talk about bowling, Akash Deep has been very impressive. I would like to see how these players move forward." he added.