Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

How former Mumbai batsman Rajput has rebuilt Zimbabwe

November 06, 2018 17:48 IST

'I had to rebuild the team and then, after losing few matches earlier on, winning a Test match is a great thing for Zimbabwe Cricket Board and people from Zimbabwe.'

IMAGE: Zimbabwe's players celebrate after winning the first Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet on Tuesday. Photograph: Zimbabwe Cricket/Twitter

Zimbabwe recorded their first Test win in five years over hosts Bangladesh, and their head coach Lalchand Rajput says it feels like a Diwali gift to him.

"It is a very significant win because even the big Test-playing countries come to Bangladesh and really struggle to beat them on home turf. So beating Bangladesh in Bangladesh is a huge win for us," 56-year-old Rajput said on Tuesday.

 

Brandon Mavuta and Sikandar Raza shared seven wickets between them as Zimbabwe recorded their first Test win in five years as they thrashed Bangladesh at Sylhet by 151 runs.

Zimbabwe had won their last Test match when they beat Pakistan at home in Harare in 2013.

IMAGE: Zimbabwe coach Lalchand Rajput during a training session. Photograph: Zimbabwe Cricket/Twitter

It was also the first time Zimbabwe clinched an away Test victory since beating Bangladesh in Chittagong 17 years ago in 2001.

"I am very happy. It's a Diwali gift for me which the team has given," said Rajput, speaking from Bangladesh.

"I had to rebuild the team and then, after losing few matches earlier on, winning a Test match is a great thing for Zimbabwe Cricket Board and people from Zimbabwe," said the former India batsman.

"It's a team effort. Everybody really contributed as a batting unit....we bowled well on a flat wicket and then the spinners chipped in. Again in the second innings it was the spinners," said Rajput who has also coached Afghanistan in the past.

The second and final Test will be played in Dhaka from November 11.

© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.