In the past, the Bangladesh batsmen were known only to survive instead of counter-attacking the opposition in the event of the fall of early wickets. However, in recent times, the mentality has changed as the Bangladesh batsmen play positively upfront, irrelevant of whether they lose early wickets or not. The approach of the Tigers batsmen is more positive now as they constantly look to attack the opposition and try to maintain a steady run-rate.
Even though a few batsmen are responsible for this change, the positive attitude has largely come from the bat of young batsman Soumya Sarkar. Soumya, who arrived to the 2015 ICC World Cup after playing just a solitary ODI, has so far displayed his bright talents with great authority.
The fearless left-hander made his ODI debut last year at home against Zimbabwe where he showed glimpses of his ability. Despite scoring only 20 runs from 18 balls in that match, his raw talent caught the attention of Tigers head coach Chandika Hathurusingha.
The Lankan coach was so impressed with the 22-year old that he gave him the license to play his natural game, which has been the trademark of his batting in this World Cup so far.
In their World Cup opener against Afghanistan, the stylish southpaw maintained a positive attitude right from the onset. In spite of a shaky start made by the Tigers, Soumya continued to counter-attack the opposition. Even though Soumya was dismissed after scoring 28 off 25 balls with the help of three eye-catching fours and a six, the tone and stage was set for Shakib al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim for the latter overs.
The youngster continued in the same vein against Sri Lanka after Bangladesh lost opener Tamim Iqbal quite early in the innings. Soumya counter-attacked the opposition bowlers and played some majestic strokes on his way to a stroke-filled 15-ball 25.
Although he missed out against Scotland after opening the innings as a make-shift option, he came back strong against England and once again displayed his flawless batting. Soumya scored a chanceless 40 off 52 balls, smashing five fours and a gorgeous six over the mid-wicket region off Moeen Ali. The class of the Satkhira lad was clearly evident.
Having said that, the youngster still needs to play a long knock and not throw away the advantage of getting starts. If he is indeed able to break the shackles, the young left-hander can emerge as the next big star of Bangladesh cricket.
