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Change in mindset did the trick for Hridoy
Young batter Towhid Hridoy had shown a glimpse of his potential in the first phase of the Bangladesh Premier League in Dhaka as he smashed three consecutive fifties for Sylhet Strikers, but the 22-year-old was derailed by a hand injury. The promising batter, still in recovery mode as he gears up for a comeback, spoke to The Daily Star’s Mazhar Uddin about his transformation, the pressure of expectations and other topics during an exclusive interview. The excerpts are below:
The Daily Star (DS): What’s the situation with your injury?
Towhid Hridoy (TH): I am recovering well, gradually. I still don’t know when I will be able to return to the field, but I am hopeful.
DS: It must be disappointing to miss out at a time when you were in such fine form?
TH: To be honest, it’s not in my hands. Injuries are part of a player’s life. I am not disappointed. I am looking forward to a strong return. I can’t control the rest.
DS: Did you work on your batting ahead of the BPL?
TH: Well, you can’t change your technique overnight but what I worked on was my mindset. I used to overthink and that put me under pressure to some extent. But now I try to have a clear mindset and play according to the situation. I am playing freely and enjoying my game and it seems to be working well.
DS: You were among the higher-rated members of Bangladesh’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad. Some of them have already made it to the senior team. Do you think the weight of expectations hampered you?
TH: Look, I bat in the same position that Mushfiqur [Rahim] bhai does for the national team. Even the selectors told me not think too much and instead continue to work on my process and improve myself. I think I have the right process and plan. I don’t think about anything else.
DS: Do you think your batting is better suited to the white-ball formats?
TH: To be honest, I haven’t done anything exceptional yet in T20s either. I have had a few disappointing BPL campaigns, including even the last edition. I think I am yet to prove myself as a consistent player but I would definitely love to play in all three formats. It is my dream to become a cross-format batter for Bangladesh.
DS: Do you think you played with a lot of freedom under skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for Sylhet in the ongoing BPL?
TH: Mashrafe bhai allows me to play my natural game and gives me the freedom to go out there and express myself. We all know he is an inspirational captain and he motivated me a lot. Shakib [Al Hasan] bhai also supported me in the previous season, when I played for Barishal. I remember I was not performing and failed in the last few games with the bat. Before the final, I told Shakib bhai that he could drop me from the playing eleven because I was not performing. But Shakib bhai told me that I would play and trusted that I would do well. That boosted my confidence a lot.
I haven’t done anything exceptional yet in T20s either. I have had a few disappointing BPL campaigns, including even the last edition. I think I am yet to prove myself as a consistent player but I would definitely love to play in all three formats. It is my dream to become a cross-format batter for Bangladesh.