‘If it is in my fate, it will come’

Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy said on Sunday that he is open to considering the national captaincy in future if the team management believes he is a suitable option.

Hridoy was at the centre of a quiet but contentious moment last year when he was initially informed he would join the Asia Cup as vice-captain after regular skipper Litton Das was ruled out mid-tournament. However, the captaincy was eventually handed to Jaker Ali Anik, leaving Hridoy sidelined from a role he briefly thought was his.

Many within the cricketing fraternity believe the decision was influenced by Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, who was then heading the cricket operations committee department. By that time, Hridoy had become something of a controversial figure following his heated confrontation with umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat during a Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League match — an incident that saw him suspended. 

Officials close to the matter suggest Nazmul, keen on reinforcing disciplinary standards, opted for Jaker instead of rewarding a player who had just served a ban.

Hridoy, however, has made peace with how things unfolded.

“Look, what I want to say is that it is not in my control (getting captaincy),” Hridoy told Daily Sun on Sunday. 

“Yes, I was informed that I was the vice-captain but later it was changed. It was the board’s call and the board did what is good for the team.”

He said he believes deeply in destiny and prefers not to dwell on opportunities that slip away.

“I always believe that what is written in my fate by Allah will happen. If it (captaincy) is written in my rizik (provision) today or tomorrow, it will come to my hand,” he noted.

Asked whether he would consider leading the national team in future, Hridoy neither dismissed the idea nor entertained it.

“I cannot say whether national team captaincy will come today or tomorrow. We cannot say what will happen tomorrow,” he said. “But if the team management thinks that way and feels that I can be a good option, then there is something to think over.

“I am not saying that surely I will do it if it is offered to me, but certainly it is something that can be thought over.”

Hridoy, who is set to lead Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited for the second successive Dhaka Premier League season, said he does not feel the need to publicise his leadership credentials.

“I don’t have anything to show people regarding captaincy,” he stated. “If they know about it, they will know it through my work.”

He pointed out that he has captained in multiple environments — “a couple of Under-19 series, the A team, and now Mohammedan last season and this season as well” — and sees the role as one of responsibility, not self-promotion.

“Captaincy is a role in a team. This role should be served well if it is entrusted upon a professional player. It is a different challenge, and I will try to serve my team.”

Hridoy also addressed the criticism that frequently surrounds him, saying that he neither resents it nor ignores it.

“Criticism is not in my control,” he explained. “People will say positive or negative things about me. When people talk about negatives, it is because they want him to do well. I take it positively. If I am unable to do something properly or if I am playing badly, then I think to myself that I should do better.”

He added that every player faces challenges irrespective of stature.

“Every person has some challenge in their life; for us there are more. Every day is a challenge. As a professional player, there will be challenges from your side. How I handle those challenges or use them to my benefit is the fact.”

Hridoy elucidated that he believes in constant self-improvement.

“Every person has an area for development. No one is 100% right. In professional life, no one is 100%. Every person has room for improvement every day. The challenge is to improve oneself day by day and move up a level.”

He also spoke candidly about the mental struggle he faced while returning from a tennis-elbow injury ahead of the New Zealand series — a phase he described as one of the toughest periods of his career.

“To be very honest it was quite tough for me mentally,” he said. “I talked with the coach, but mostly with our physio Bayezid bhai, and with those who worked with me — Bayezid bhai and Sunny bhai. They took care of me and gave effort.”

The injury was severe enough to rattle him.

“It was always in my mind when I would get to bat. Every time I picked up the bat I felt pain. My tennis-elbow injury has history — a lot of big players have had it. Bayezid bhai always used to say Sachin Tendulkar wanted to leave the game due to pain from this injury.”

Hridoy said that he was distressed because the timing made everything more difficult.

“I had started treatment before the camp. I wasn’t able to bat. I don’t feel well if I cannot bat the way I want to. If it was a domestic game, the situation would have been different — but this is international cricket. Everything is different in terms of environment and preparation. It was tough.”

He credited the support staff for helping him get through the period.

“The support the physio department gave — Bayezid bhai — I have to give them credit. Alhamdulillah, it is okay.”