Improved Talukdar rewarded for consistency

Following his selection in the Bangladesh squad for the first two ODIs against Pakistan, Rony Talukdar is set to be Tamim Iqbal's 13th opening partner in ODIs, and the fifth in the last three years, as the national selectors and the Bangladesh team management continue their search for solidity in the top order. Talukdar's good form in the 2014-15 domestic season, as well as a developing line of opening batsmen, would provide them with some comfort.

Talukdar has scored heavily this season, racking up 714 runs in 16 Dhaka Premier Division games to finish as the leading run-getter, in addition to the 777 runs in seven National Cricket League matches, his best since making his domestic debut in 2007-08. There was speculation that Litton Das, who scored five first-class centuries and ended as the second-highest run-getter in the domestic one-day competition, could be picked ahead of Talukdar for a place in the Bangladesh ODI side to face Pakistan. However, the selectors eventually prioritised experience, which meant that Talukdar, who has played 26 first-class games and 27 List A games more than Litton, got the nod. Litton has just graduated from the Under-19 level but continues to remain on the radar of the selectors.

Apart from these two, there have been a number of other opening batsmen who have scored well this season. Soumya Sarkar, Abdul Mazid, Saikat Ali and Mehedi Maruf were among the runs in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League while Shahriar Nafees is also among four openers to score more than 700 runs in the National Cricket League.

This comes as good news for the selectors who are constantly looking for a stable opening partnership. Coach Chandika Hathurusingha has recently said in an interview that he prefers using openers in the top three in a bid to protect the middle order. He did so in West Indies, in series at home, and during the World Cup as well.

The Faruque Ahmed-led selection panel, since their appointment at the end of 2013, has been mostly using the Tamim Iqbal-Anamul Haque opening partnership. But during the World Cup, Tamim had three opening partners - Anamul, Soumya and Imrul Kayes - in six innings. On four of those occasions, the opening pair couldn't cross five runs. Anamul's shoulder injury needs another two weeks for recovery and there is a preference for Soumya to bat at No. 3, which forced the selectors to look into domestic cricket. Imrul's poor form at the World Cup ultimately pushed for the change, as the selectors chose Talukdar.

In the last three years, Tamim has opened with five openers in ODIs including Shamsur Rahman and Mohammad Ashraful. During the same period, he has had six opening partners in Tests and four in T20s.

Talukdar, who was rewarded for consistency, wants to grab the opportunity with both hands, but is wary of the gap between first-class and international levels.

"Everyone was telling me that I will get a national call-up if I keep scoring in this way," Talukdar said. "Hearing this, I tried to score more runs. There was some expectation within me about getting selected in the national side. But you can never take these things for granted.

"I want to make the most of this opportunity. I know there is a big difference between domestic and international cricket. First thing I have to do is make adjustments. There has always been a place for openers in the Bangladesh team and I am glad to have finally made it."

Talukdar has been around domestic cricket for a number of years but he struggled to expand his game, despite making a mark early in his career. He found a place in Bangladesh's 2008 Under-19 World Cup side, after which he was in the 30-man preliminary squad for the 2010 World T20, but suffered lapses of concentration until the 2014-15 season.

"I would lose concentration while batting, and my performance suffered. But I have overcome these issues. I have realised that discipline and dedication is paramount in cricket. Not just on the field, a cricketer has to be disciplined off the field too."

Talukdar then worked on his concentration and conversion rate with some help from Jahangir Alam and Mizanur Rahman.

"I am building myself in that way these days. I am working hard on the field too. I did a lot of work on my batting with Jahangir [Alam] bhai. Babul sir [Prime Doleshwar coach Mizanur Rahman] reminded me during the Dhaka Premier League that I shouldn't lose concentration while batting. I would get out between 20 and 40 in previous seasons. But now I can hold my focus for longer periods," he said.

Two of his three hundred-plus scores in the first-class competition were double-hundreds while the other was 163. He has also added two 300-plus opening wicket partnerships with Abdul Mazid for Dhaka Division, as well as other partnerships worth 226, 197 and 158 runs. He was also the highest scorer in the Dhaka Premier League where he also was involved in three 100-plus stands, the highest being 2014 he added with his Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club's opening partner Mehedi Maruf.

Talukdar, 24, said that seeing many of his former Under-19 team-mates progress to the Bangladesh team inspired him, as did the fear of running out of time, considering Bangladesh's tendency to overlook batsmen nearing the age of 30.

"A number of my Under-19 team-mates have played for the national team. I am 24-25, so I would not be considered for selection after another 3-4 years. These factors made me more serious. It wasn't that I was dying to make team this season but I thought that it could happen within the next couple of seasons. It happened this time, thankfully," he said.