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Towhid Hridoy was thought to be the next big thing in Bangladesh cricket since his age-level days, and after making his debut in recent months, he has shown why. The Business Post’s Shams Rahman caught up with the 22-year-old to talk about his batting and especially his positive approach, which has seen him gather plaudits from everywhere.
TBP: Your batting has left many surprised, especially your six-hitting ability, which was not seen before. So, what changes did you bring?
Towhid Hridoy: I changed my mind set-up mainly. Since I did not do well in the last Bangladesh Premier League (2022), I thought about doing better in T20 cricket. That is why I worked on that.
Who did you work with on these things?
I worked with both (Khaled Mahmud) Sujan sir and Sohel (Islam) sir. I worked mostly with Sujan sir.
You had a pretty good international debut against England. Were you nervous?
No, no, not at all. I generally don’t get nervous. I always try to not think too much about anything and just play ball-by-ball.
You almost hit a hundred on your debut. Were you disappointed to get out in your 90s?
No, definitely not. I could have gotten out early too. Whatever happened, I am thankful to God for that.
Talking about your batting again, your head position and stance stay still when you are trying to hit big, something rarely seen in other Bangladeshi batters. Could you elaborate on that?
When I worked with Naveed Nawaz for the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, there was some change in my batting. While playing my first Under-19 World Cup in 2018, I used to be able to hit big and sixes were a regular thing because of a specific grip. Then, Naveed worked with me on a different grip, which was good for playing on the ground.
You always try to stay positive while batting. Where does this come from?
When your intent is positive, when it is good, the ball will come and the body will react. If the intent is correct, then playing positively comes automatically. I always try to stay positive, whatever the situation is.
Does staying positive psychologically help you bat better?
Yes. Ultimately this is a mind game. When you keep feeding your mind this message of staying positive psychologically, it starts working that way and your body will start reacting that way. When I think like that, my body reacts that way, and I always try to continue that.
The message from the team management in the recent T20 series, was it to show positive intent no matter what?
Yes, that is the message, to stay on the front foot and that it will continue. Sometimes we might get all out for low scores, and at other times we will score 200-220.
What are your plans for the upcoming Ireland series?
I don’t have any specific plan. I am normal, and I always try to stay that way. When I enter the practice camp, then I will think about it.
There is a World Cup coming up later this year. Do you have any thoughts about that?
No, I am not thinking about the World Cup at all. It’s still very far. There are a lot of series coming up. To me, the important thing is to focus on the work on the given day, I try to move ahead match-by-match.
