In the ongoing Test series against India, Bangladesh's persistent struggle to capitalize on starts by their openers has once again been highlighted. Despite spending valuable time at the crease, Bangladesh’s top-order batters seem unable to convert their promising starts into substantial innings. This has been a worrying pattern observed not just in the current series but also across the last six Test matches, where openers have faltered after facing 30-40 balls.

Out of 24 innings played by Bangladeshi openers in those matches, only 4 innings have managed to break this cycle. The remaining 18 innings have seen batsmen either fall cheaply or get dismissed soon after settling at the crease. The first Test in Chennai was no exception.

In the first innings, Sadman Islam was dismissed for 2 runs off 6 balls, while Zakir Hasan could only manage 3 runs from 22 balls. Although they showed slight improvement in the second innings, Zakir was dismissed after scoring 33 runs from 47 balls, and Sadman made 35 runs from 68 deliveries—still far from the expected performances of solid Test openers.

This issue has raised questions, with many wondering why Bangladesh’s openers fail to convert their promising starts. During the post-match press conference on Day 3 of the Chennai Test, Bangladesh batting coach, David Hemp, was asked about this recurring problem. Although he didn’t have a definitive answer, he emphasized that once a batsman is set, they should aim to face at least 120 balls to truly make a difference.

Hemp acknowledged that the openers had worked hard to survive the difficult opening spells but expressed disappointment at their inability to build on those efforts. “It goes without saying you need to get into an in, so you need to start well. Then obviously, once you get in, once you've faced 20-30 balls, and you've got a bit of idea in terms of assessment of what's happening. You'd like to obviously go on from that, especially when you get to 30-40 balls because you're generally in.”

He further added that discussions have been ongoing within the team, and they are working on this aspect in practice. “It's something that we talk about because you've done the hard work and then it's making sure that you cash in. I think in Pakistan, we did do that in practice. It's something that we will continue to keep talking about and keep working towards in terms of practice. Yes, it is an area that we're conscious of, but the key for me at the moment, is making sure that our approach to that, we get ourselves in first because that's something we haven't done well enough, certainly over the Look at the strengths. So we're doing that better. But as you said, we certainly want to get to 40-50-60 balls. Ideally, you then go on to about 120 balls. And if you do that, then you're going to walk away with a reasonable reward or effort,” Hemp explained.