KANPUR: Bangladesh were reeling at 29/2 inside 15 overs when former skipper Mominul Haque arrived at the crease. Invited to bat in overcast conditions here at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur on day one of the second Test. The visitors were on the backfoot and needed someone to arrest the slide.
Mominul, the Test specialist, joined forces with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and added 51 runs for the third wicket. Ravichandran Ashwin, Player of the Match from the first Test, sent back the visiting captain but the 33-year-old southpaw remained unbeaten as the rain washed out play for the remaining part of the day.
With no play possible in the next two days as well, Bangladesh team members were confined to their rooms in the hotel and so was Mominul. The two-day break could have proved to be counterproductive but the senior batter looked in the zone when play resumed on Monday. Even as everyone around him fell like ninepins, a visibly determined Mominul held the fort from one end to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Mentor Mohammad Salahuddin was sure the two-day gap would not affect Mominul as he has seen quite a few in his long career. "He must have utilised that two-day break to the fullest and the result is there for everyone to see. He doesn't believe in instant success. Instead, he likes to work on his game for a long time seeking permanent benefits. Such hiccups can only spur him on," Salahuddin, former assistant coach of Bangladesh men's team, told this daily.
Since his unbeaten 121 against Afghanistan in Mirpur in June last year, Mominul has reached the 50-run mark thrice in the next seven matches but couldn't convert it to a hundred. The situation in Kanpur was tailor made for him and he made the most of the occasion to slam an unbeaten 107 off 194 balls and take Bangladesh to 233 in their first essay.
Eleven years into his international cricket, Mominul has played only 28 ODIs and 6 T20Is so far as he has largely been considered a Test cricketer. At times, it becomes very difficult for such players to continue their momentum especially when the cricketing calendar is packed with white-ball games.
Salahuddin also attributed his struggles in the middle of his career to lack of matches. "Of late, Bangladesh have been playing fewer Tests. Mominul plays only one format so naturally it becomes difficult for him to come and perform after such a big gap. Even First Class cricket here in the country is played for a limited time. This all works against him but he doesn't give up easily and keeps striving hard," the mentor said.
Mominul's Test career started with a bang and he took it to another level as time progressed. At times, he was averaging above 50. But by 2017, it dropped. By 2022, it came down below 40. His captaincy stint between 2019 and 2022 didn't help his cause either.
During one such lean phase, he sought his mentor's help. "It was in 2018, he was getting out to off-spinners. It was his movement forward and backward which was the cause of the problem. We worked on it and it paid rewards. He learns continuously. For every series, he prepares like that. If we cannot meet in person, we talk over the telephone. It's not that we always talk about cricket.But whenever he feels he needs to work on some aspects of his game, we work together for the cause," Salahuddin said.
It might not be the best among his 13 hundreds but it certainly was the one to remember for a long time for Mominul. Like the previous India tour five years ago, wherein he was given the command of the Test team for the first time after Shakib Al Hasan was banned, the ongoing visit to the country is bound to give him fond memories especially after that fighting ton under his belt.