IND vs BAN: "Not Seen Before" - Bangladesh Coach Chandika Hathursingha Lauds India's Aggressive Approach in Kanpur Test

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Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathursingha has lauded India for their "never before seen approach" to obtain result in a rain-hit second Test, which lost seven sessions of play, at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

After days 2 and 3 were called off without any play, the Test in Kanpur was destined for a draw, but Rohit Sharma's men took an aggressive approach to force a result in the match when play resumed on day 4.

The Bangladesh coach praised the Indian team's aggressive approach to secure a result in the rain-affected game after play resumed on day four, but expressed disappointment in his team's performance.

"The defeat is really painful in terms of our performance. India's approach was something we hadn't seen before. All credit to Rohit and the Indian team for that approach and making a match of it. We didn't react quickly enough," Hathurusingha said, as quoted by the ICC.

A batting collapse on the final day saw Bangladesh suffer a seven-wicket defeat in a match that lasted just 173.2 overs, making it the fourth-shortest Test in history.

Bangladesh had hoped to bat through the fifth day to salvage a draw, but managed to survive only one session as they lost skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shadman Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, and Litton Das within 30 minutes to the relentless Indian attack.

"Batting was disappointing in this series," Hathurusingha added. "Some players performed well in the last series, but we haven't been playing to our potential in recent ones. One reason for our batting struggles was the quality of the opposition.

"The skill level displayed in this series was very high, and we are taking away a lot of lessons. This is the best team, and playing India in India is the toughest assignment. We understand how much we need to improve."

Bangladesh came into the India series following a historic tour of Pakistan, where they secured a whitewash by winning both the Tests. However, Hathurusingha was aware that facing India would be a much greater challenge.

"We came here after beating Pakistan, but we knew the challenges in India would be steep. It's important not to let our emotions be dictated by our performance," he added.

"We didn't get carried away after winning in Pakistan, so we shouldn't be too disheartened by this result. We know what we did well in Pakistan, and we understand what we couldn't do here to compete."

The Bangladesh head coach acknowledged that his team had been outplayed in the series and stressed the need for improvement to compete against stronger sides.

"I think we were completely outplayed in this series. The difference in skill levels was evident, and we need to improve. That said, we didn't play to our full potential, and we are disappointed by that. There's no point in putting undue pressure on each individual player if they aren't receiving the right support," he said.

Bangladesh will now face India in a three-match T20I series before heading back home to host South Africa in two-Tests, which will be part of the ICC World Test Championship, from October 21.