All you need to know about Bangladesh’s latest rhythm sensation: Hasan Mahmud

In a team that wears its emotions on its sleeve, Hasan Mahmud is an exception. He doesn’t believe in over-the-top celebrations, he lacks the aggression of a speedy player, but he is fast becoming a master at making the ball talk.

On the opening day of the first Test against India here, the 24-year-old Bangladeshi player grabbed the spotlight with a three-wicket haul in the first session, which rocked a famed batting line-up comprising heavyweights Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill.

Considering the batsmen he dismissed in just his fourth Test match, one would have expected the excellent player to celebrate appropriately, but he limited himself to a few high fives and handshakes with his colleagues.

“I don’t really celebrate and there is no real reason for it. You could say that if I celebrate after taking a wicket, the batsman will feel more upset, that’s why I don’t celebrate,” he had said at a press conference.

Hasan Mahmud leaves the field with a remarkable haul of five wickets, making history as the first Bangladeshi bowler to achieve this in a Test match on Indian soil.????????????

PC: BCCI#BCB #Cricket #INDVBAN #WTC25 image.twitter.com/Ff7K0wNpFE

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) September 20, 2024

However, the player expressed his delight at sending back the likes of Kohli and Rohit, and Rishabh Pant in the second session, at the end of the day’s play here.

“I am happy. When you take top wickets at the moment, you naturally get happy,” said Mahmud, whose career has been plagued by injuries.

Born into a farming family in a village near Chattogram, Mahmud is a product of Bangladesh’s age-group system, and was rated by South African pace great Allan Donald and former West Indies speedster Ottis Gibson as the best fast bowler ever to come out of the country.

Both Donald and Gibson had been part of the team’s coaching staff in the past, and Russell Domingo had described his ability to hit as “a gift from God.”

Mahmud showed why he is so highly rated during Bangladesh’s historic Test series win in Pakistan recently, and he did so again on Thursday against a much better batting lineup.

“I was in my zone. So it’s been a lot of fun, no matter what wickets you take, any batsman. It’s been very good,” he told reporters after the end of the day’s play.

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“My plan was very simple. I keep the ball shaped all the time and try to bowl a little bit up, up and shape the ball in or out at any time. So I tried that.” He came through the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s age-group structure, starting with Chattogram Under-16 in 2015.

In 2018, Mahmud made it to Bangladesh’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, finishing as the team’s second-highest wicket-taker.

A year later, he was selected for the U-23 team, participating in the Asia Emerging Teams Cup, followed by the South Asian Games.

Following his exploits in the Dhaka Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League and Bangladesh Cricket League, Mahmud earned his maiden T20 international cap against Zimbabwe in 2020, followed by his one-day international debut the following year.

However, he had to wait four years before making his Test debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year, in which he took six wickets.

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Asked how he kept himself fit, he said, “At that time, I used to play our first-class matches at home. So, I used to give my best there before I was called up,” Mahmud said.

“I’m doing very well now and I want to keep it that way.” One of the most striking features of his pitching is his ability to move the ball in both directions.

“I will continue to try to improve my bowling technique as much as I can, but I want to thank everyone for helping me,” he added.

Speaking about his performance here, Mahmud said, “I think during the day, right from the morning, it was like the ball was moving quickly towards the wicket. Later, the wicket settled down and the ball came to the bat with good ease. Still, the fast bowler is gaining momentum,” he said.

“We were trying to dominate from the morning but the wicket has improved a lot now. So we are trying to minimise the runs and the boundary.”

“At one point, the momentum was in our favour, but now it has changed. Anything can happen. Tomorrow we will have another opportunity and we will try to take advantage of it,” he concluded.