Mushtaq Optimistic About Rishad Hossain

Losing a place in the team can often be a setback for a cricketer, but at times it becomes the biggest opportunity to rebuild oneself—such a reality has emerged around Bangladesh’s young leg-spinner Rishad Hossain through the words of his coach and an opposition player.

Ahead of the T20 series, while speaking about Rishad’s mental state after being left out of the team, spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed described it as a natural part of growth and emphasized the importance of mental strength in international cricket.

“It is part of his development. Sometimes when you are out of the team, how is your mindset? As coaches, it is our responsibility to make his mind stronger. International cricket is all about temperament. More than anything else, it is actually a mental game. Because skill can bring you here, but to stay here you need the right mindset. To survive at the international level, you must have a strong mentality.”

Mushtaq Ahmed then explained Rishad’s performance and the team’s planning around him, making it clear that this was not a permanent exclusion but rather a decision based on team combination and rotation.

“I think as a coach, it is my responsibility to make Rishad mentally stronger. He hasn’t really been dropped. He bowled very well in the last ODI, but we just wanted to strengthen the spin attack further. So we want to give all the spinners a chance to play some matches. So yes, our responsibility is to ensure that those who are not playing remain mentally positive.”