How Bangladesh followed Virat Kohli's template to humble Australia in Darwin

NEW DELHI: It was fitting that Mominul Haque hit the winning runs for Bangladesh's nine-wicket win over Australia in Darwin. The diminutive southpaw had also struck the winning run at Mount Maunganui against New Zealand in 2022, which was another historic Test win for Bangladesh. It was during Mominul's captaincy that the fast-bowling revolution started in Bangladesh, and now it is bearing fruit.

Interestingly, it was the words of wisdom from former India captain Virat Kohli in 2019, after the pink-ball Test in Kolkata, which fuelled the changes in Bangladesh cricket.

During the post-match press conference, Kohli had talked about India and the BCCI's measures to push Test cricket forward. He had talked about "total commitment" from the players but also reiterated the importance of matching that demand with improved contracts for Test players in the country.

"If you look at our contracts system as well, a lot of importance has been given to Test cricketers. I think all things have to coincide and I think every cricket nation that has done that are invariably the ones that are playing strong Test cricket. Their hearts and minds are totally in sync with keeping Test cricket on top. You can't tell the players you have to be committed to playing Test cricket but contractually we won't do anything for you. Because we're professional players, we earn a living as well.," Kohli had said.

The bruises from that pink-ball Test did not sit well with Mominul, but he learnt the lesson from the then captain of the World No. 1 Test team. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) introduced contracts for Test cricketers, while Mominul, along with Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain and current chief selector, who was then a member of the selection panel, charted out plans to change the National Cricket League (NCL), the country's biggest four-day competition.

The BCB told curators across the country to leave six millimetres (mm) of grass on the pitches, but it used to die down after Day 1, and then the spinners would call the shots. Mominul did not lose hope. He pushed the board to leave a slightly longer grass cover of eight to 10 mm, and they started playing with Duke balls.

The major change was also inspired by Virat Kohli's fast-bowling cartel. In Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India had a good crop of fast bowlers, and even the third pacer was as relentless as their strike bowlers.

Taking a leaf out of Virat Kohli's captaincy, Mominul had the BCB instruct all eight first-class teams that they must play with three pacers in every match.

Mominul's persistence with this strategy surprised many, including former Bangladesh captain and current Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal.

"I think a lot of credit should go to then captain Mominul Haque," Tamim had told TimesofIndia.com earlier this year.

"I still remember in first-class games he used to make sure that the fast bowlers bowled the maximum overs. I remember one first-class game because he and I used to play for the same team, and I went to him and said we could easily bowl spinners. He said, 'No, if I do not make these fast bowlers bowl now, how are they going to learn? Regardless of whether they are doing well or not, we need fast bowlers in the national team and they need to bowl as much as possible.'

"I think he was the main guy who changed the fast bowling unit. He gave maximum importance to the fast bowlers and made sure that they bowled maximum overs in domestic and international cricket. When the fast bowlers started getting success, domestic players and young kids started believing that even in Bangladesh you can become a fast bowler, get success and become a superstar. A lot of credit must go to Mominul Haque and, along the way, coaches like Allan Donald and Ottis Gibson also played a big part."

Mominul's decision to give young pacers extended spells included Hasan Mahmud, who would go on to produce a stunning performance against Australia in Darwin on Thursday, etching his name into one of the most memorable days in Bangladesh's Test history.

Hasan delivered a masterclass in red-ball bowling, displaying remarkable discipline with his lines and lengths throughout the day. His persistence was rewarded with career-best figures of 6-55. He followed it up with 3-56 and was rightly adjudged player of the match.

The three-pacers gambit worked. And with the likes of Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and the 150kph speedster Nahid Rana in their ranks, Bangladesh's fast-bowling cartel is scary and on the rise. And it all started during Virat Kohli's press conference at Eden Gardens, which propelled the revolution in Bangladesh cricket.