Mahmudullah Has Overcome ‘Mental Barrier’ And Set His Sights On Winning The Series

Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah said his team was excited about winning their maiden T20I series against India in Rajkot, having overcome a “mental barrier “over their neighbors in Delhi during their first-ever T20I victory.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Thursday’s second T20I, Mahmudullah told reporters, “The mental barrier you speak of, we might [have] come out of that, even if a little bit. I think in T20 cricket, this sort of change comes often and it depends on how we keep calm and execute our skills to try and win the game,”

He added, “I think, it is a great opportunity, especially when you have already won the first game in the series and I think the boys are feeling energetic about it and hopefully we can put up a good show tomorrow.”
Mahmudullah claims that after the recent upheavals back home, a series win at this delicate juncture in Bangladesh cricket will be a soothing balm.

Over the past few weeks, Bangladesh cricket has been engulfed in controversy after several national team players have called for an unprecedented strike to be resolved only after Bangladesh Cricket Board accepted most of their 11-point demand list. This was followed by an ICC suspension because unethical methods were not published.

Mahmudullah said, “If you concentrate on the recent (developments), whatever is going on in Bangladesh cricket, a series win will be a big boost for Bangladesh cricket and also a big boost for Bangladesh cricket team. We have to play good cricket to beat India because we know that they are a good side on their home side and across all over the world, so we have to be on our top from the first ball.”

The Bangladesh captain also added that a series win could even pave the way for full-fledged series against India in the future. He said, “India is very strong in their home soil, and they have proven it in the last 11-12 years how strong they are. It will be a big achievement if we can win. We have come to India for the first time to play a bilateral series so if we can win it then it will be a big achievement for us.”