Soumya Sarkar did not feature in the ODI series opener against Australia, but made an immediate impact after replacing Saif Hassan in the second match on Thurdsay. The left-hander shared an 86-run opening partnership with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto as Bangladesh chased down a revised target of 192 in 41 overs under the DLS method.
However, just when he appeared set for a substantial innings, Soumya attempted a reverse sweep off part-time spinner Matt Renshaw and was caught at slip by Xavier Bartlett for 42.
Ahead of the third ODI on Saturday, Soumya defended his decision and said he would continue to back himself to play the shot in similar situations.
The reverse sweep has long been one of Soumya’s scoring options and a release shot against spin. Despite being involved in a flourishing partnership, he felt it was the best option available at the time. Asked whether he could have converted his start into a bigger score, Soumya said: “Yes, of course it could have been bigger. But at the time I was batting, I felt that the shot I played was one with a high success rate for me, which is why I went for it.”
Soumya’s 42 came off 47 balls and included five fours and two sixes. While acknowledging that the dismissal was costly, he felt the scrutiny over his shot selection would likely have been different had he gone on to reach a half-century.
“I wasn’t successful, that’s true. If I think about it now, perhaps the question would not have come up had I gone on to score a fifty before getting out. One could also say I could have waited until after reaching fifty before playing that shot,” he said.
Despite the outcome, Soumya remains convinced it was the right decision.
“I felt it was the right option. Had it come off, I would have been happy with it as well. Since it didn’t, it now looks like a negative decision. Even if a similar situation comes up in the future, I would still back myself to play that shot.”
