I had never thought about the personal milestone: Hridoy

Sylhet, 8 Nov-Bangladesh middle order batter Towhid Hridoy insisted that he never thought about his personal milestone during the course of his epic 242 not out that set record ablaze, allowing the side hit back into the Test.

He said the target was to take the team into a good position after they lost some wickets in quick succession

"I didn't think about whom I was surpassing or what I might achieve. I just tried to fight as much as possible to take the team to a good position. I was set, having a good day and feeling good with the bat, so I tried to contribute as much as I could for the team," Hridoy who played the highest knock by a Bangladesh batter in test format on Day 3 of the second Test, said today.

Hridoy also had no regrets about missing the opportunity to reach 250, insisting that his priority was always the team's cause rather than personal milestones.

He credited lower-order batters Taijul Islam and Taskin Ahmed for their valuable contributions, saying their ability to handle pressure played a significant role in Bangladesh's recovery.

"As a set batter, I tried to guide them with whatever little advice or plans I could offer. But the way they batted was outstanding. It was because of their efforts that the team could reach this position," he added.

Hridoy said he deliberately tried to shield the two lower-order batters from facing too many deliveries early in their innings, as the first few balls are crucial for any batter.

He added that trusting his partners was essential to building the innings.

The 25-year-old also explained that his attacking approach was dictated by the situation rather than a predetermined plan to counter-attack.

"Sometimes, if you don't counter-attack, you cannot get out of a difficult situation. Before dominating a team, I believe we also need to counter-attack at some point," he said.

Despite being regarded primarily as a white-ball batter, Hridoy said he has no fixed approach to red-ball cricket and prefers to adapt his game according to the team's requirements.

"If the situation demands attack, I will attack. If it demands something else, I will try to play accordingly," he said.

He also cautioned against judging players on the basis of one or two poor performances, arguing that criticism becomes more meaningful when a player repeatedly makes the same mistakes.

Hridoy described his 242-run innings as a major confidence boost but stopped short of calling it the best performance of his career. He instead recalled scoring three consecutive centuries in Under-19 cricket as one of his most special achievements.

He believes criticism is an inevitable part of professional sport and said players should take it positively to learn and improve.

"Criticism will always be there. When we do well, you speak positively about us, and when we perform poorly, criticism is natural. I believe there is a lot to learn from criticism if we take it in the right way," he remarked.BSS