Competition for opening spots bodes well for Bangladesh

Soumya Sarkar bending his left knee right down to the pitch to resolutely defend a ball told you he didn't want to give his wicket away. His unbeaten 66 had many of his trademark shots too, but it was evident Sarkar was trying to bat like a Test opener on a good batting track in Galle. He reined himself in and did not play the attractive shots for a while.

Perhaps there is not much connection between his effort in Galle and the news of Imrul Kayes being passed fit to join the squad for the second Test in Colombo, but competition for places is always a healthy sign.

Bangladesh have always longed for a strong pool, which helps seamlessly replace a player at any time of a season. While they have a few fast bowlers who can be rotated between formats, they need more back-up options for the batting line-up and the spin department. So when one opener is a permanent fixture and two others are in a tussle, it is only encouraging for the team.

This could be the first step towards a strong bench for Bangladesh. If the Sarkar-Kayes conundrum is handled sensibly, it could encourage similar contests in the middle order. The choice between Sabbir Rahman and Mahmudullah has been a tough one for the management, but the latter's fifty in the Hyderabad Test perhaps made things easier. Sabbir's inexperience, and Mahmudullah's growing stature might have also influenced the management's decision to leave out Sabbir in Galle.

It is not quite as straightforward between Kayes and Sarkar, who now has to make a big hundred in the first innings to keep himself ahead. Much of what he showed on the second afternoon was promising.

The most encouraging sign from Sarkar was that he restricted himself from playing half-hearted drives for more than three hours on a steaming day in Galle. Sarkar is largely a positive player, which means a soft dismissal is often around the corner. But on Wednesday, he was solid in defence, and whenever he played through the line, against pace or spin, he did it with more intent than he did in Christchurch or Hyderabad.

In both those Tests, he had played with his natural flamboyance, often driving on the up without moving his feet or playing in front of square on the leg side. His natural hand-eye prowess gives him the confidence to go through with those shots. In the first innings in Christchurch he swiftly moved to 86 before chipping a catch to short cover.

In Hyderabad, he was lazy against a rampant Umesh Yadav in the first innings, and then saw Ajinkya Rahane pluck a good catch at slip in the second after he had carelessly hung out his bat against Ravindra Jadeja. He batted well enough to last 54 and 91 minutes respectively, but he eventually fell to soft dismissals.

On the second afternoon in Galle, Sarkar was breathtaking when hitting between mid-on and midwicket. In a reminder of his natural flair, he even employed the vertical-bat ramp when fast bowler Lahiru Kumara erred short. Sarkar was more conservative against the spinners though - Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath and Lakshan Sandakan. In all, it was a solid innings from Sarkar.

On the third day, Bangladesh wouldn't want him to stretch back to the lazy shots that have put him in a dangerous position against smart bowlers. While there is no debate about Sarkar's talent and elegance, it will be a grand waste if he does not merge it with temperament and runs.

After stumps on the second day, Chandika Hathurusingha, the Bangladesh coach said he was impressed with the way Sarkar adapted to the situation. He also warned that the Sri Lanka were still way ahead, which means the visitors need more application from Sarkar.

"It's up to the batsman to decide how he wants to approach his innings," Hathurusingha said. "But the way he batted was encouraging, knowing that he is normally a stroke-maker and he played accordingly. The spinners came back well. The Sri Lankan spinners pulled our run rate back and that's what they do well here. The wicket is going to get slower and a little more spin-friendly and that's a challenge ahead for us."

The 118-run partnership between Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal was Bangladesh's first century opening stand since Tamim and Kayes added 312 against Pakistan in Khulna in 2015. Bangladesh needed to start well in Galle after Sri Lanka had posted 494, and Tamim and Sarkar led a strong response with risk-free cricket. Until Tamim suffered, what Hathurusingha described as, a "brain fade".

A Sandakan delivery brushed Tamim's pad and wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella collected the ball, and instantly appealed for caught behind. Then, having seen Tamim, wander out of the crease in search of a single, he quickly took the bails off to run him out for 57.

Hathurusingha said Tamim's approach had also impressed him until that bizarre dismissal. "Very disappointed because we were cruising at that time," Hathurusinga said. "They were batting very well, there were no demons at that time. Actually he batted really well. I was very pleased the way he approached the innings. He probably thought that the ball had gone past the keeper. Only thing I can say is brain fade."

In the wake of this 118-run opening stand, it will be intriguing to see where Kayes stands in Bangladesh's plans. Since 2015, when he kept wicket for more than 120 overs and struck 150 in Khulna, Kayes has been Tamim's first-choice partner at the top of the order.

Recently against England at home, he took the coach's advice to play aggressively, and turned out to be a different limited-overs batsman altogether. Kayes wasn't too successful in New Zealand, though, before being sidelined by multiple hamstring injuries. He is now in contention for the Colombo Test, having proved his fitness with a century and fifty in three first-class matches.

Kayes regaining fitness and Sarkar gaining solidity is a welcome headache for Bangladesh. Who will get the nod for the Colombo Test?