SA tour a big chance for Bangladesh to perform: Sunil Joshi

Bengaluru, September 23: Being a part of or create history is a privilege destiny accords to a few and Sunil Joshi is certainly a member of that elite club.

To get the full range of that statement, we need to take a quick detour to the past.

1 In his first coaching assignment, the former India and Karnataka left-arm spinner had lifted Hyderabad to the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals from the depths of Plate Group in the 2011-12 season.

2 He was the head coach of Jammu and Kashmir when they enacted one of the biggest coups of domestic cricket history while defeating Mumbai in 2014.

3 Joshi was there as spin bowling coach when Bangladesh registered their first Test win over Australia in 2017.

Cut to present, Joshi will eye another slice of history when Bangladesh take on South Africa in a two-match Test series from September 28. And this bunch of Bangladesh players are quite capable of adding another shining leaf to their cricketing history.

Joshi is quite aware of it. "These youngsters have shown that they have some spark in them and this would be a learning curve for these boys. This is a big opportunity for them to come out of Asia and perform," Joshi told mykhel.com from South Africa where Bangladesh are currently playing a three-day preparatory match.

His confidence has a sound base too - Bangladesh's recent win over Australia.

"Beating Australian team is always something special. Quite happy about being a part of the Bangladesh squad which achieved this feat and it is a great moment for Bangladesh as a cricketing nation.

"What the victory against Australia has done for this bunch of cricketers is that the belief has started to come in. They had also beaten Sri Lanka. But beating Australia in Test cricket is a bonus for any young side. It will be a great morale booster for them going into the Test series against South Africa," he said.

The South African atmosphere will be vastly different from sub-continent conditions - quicker bowlers getting prominence over spinners.

But Joshi said Bangladesh can adapt to the challenge.

"See, even in pace friendly conditions, all the 90 overs cannot be bowled by pace bowlers. You will have to allocate 30-35 overs to spinners. They have a big role to play in Test cricket irrespective of where you play - in sub-continent conditions or abroad. Of course, spinners will have to redraft their strategy when bowl in a country like South Africa where conditions are more favourable to the quicker bowlers," he said.

Here Joshi sees his role as a specialist spin bowling coach. "My job is to teach them what line and length they need to bowl, how to use the crease, how to bowl with or against the breeze etc.

"From my part, I have my level of experience and first-hand knowledge of South Africa and bring a different perspective to spinners," he noted.

In that context, Joshi said the presence of legendary West Indian pacer Courtney Walsh would be a great boost for the team.

"We have some real talents in all departments - batting, spin and pace bowling. In pace department, it is a blessing to have none other than the legendary Courtney Walsh as the fast bowling coach. He has immense experience in bowling in different conditions," Joshi said.

The only glitch during the tour could be the absence of all-rounder Shakib al-Hasan, who has taken a sabbatical. Joshi was confident that Bangladesh could surmount his absence.

"Yes, Shakib is a great player who has done well consistently for Bangladesh. Definitely, we will miss him. But cricket will go on and we need to look beyond. We have players like Taijul Islam and Mehedi Miraj Hassan, who is a very fine bowler and has done well against Australia and Sri Lanka," said Joshi.

There is already a moment of personal satisfaction for Joshi as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has extended his contract till September 2018. He was chuffed, quite understandbly.

"Getting a long term stint has really boosted my confidence. I will be working with the spinners in the skill part but along with it I will be working on the tactical aspects, field settings, compartmentalizing their mindset while bowling to top order and middle-order batsmen and tailenders. In international cricket, it is important to sustain and switch the momentum as per situations."

But for now, it's time to douse Protea fire.