Mohammad Ashraful took to international cricket in the manner born, scoring a century in his first Test, when he was just 16.
He was picked as a specialist leg-spinner for the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, in September 2001, but ended up playing a great innings against Muthiah Muralitharan & Co.
His second century -- a swashbuckling 158 against India in the second Test at Chittagong last December -- took some time coming, but it showed glimpses of the talent he possesses.
A Test average of 25.23 after 25 Tests illustrates that the 20 year old has not done enough justice to his batting. It is something, he admits, he needs to work hard on.
Ashraful is currently in India, leading the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI in the Duleep Trophy.
Sports Correspondent Harish Kotian caught with up him while he was in Mumbai.
How was it being part of the Bangladesh team that won its first-ever Test and series, beating Zimbabwe at home last month?
I am very happy and proud to have been part of the Bangladesh team that won its first Test match and series. In future, when Bangladesh does well in international cricket, I can always look back and say I was a part of the team that featured in Bangladesh's first-ever Test victory.
Zimbabwe fielded a weak team due to the absence of key players. Before the start of the series did you feel you had a chance of beating them?
We all felt we had a chance against Zimbabwe. It feels good that we have finally won a Test.
If you remember, we had a chance against Pakistan in the third Test at Multan in September 2003, when we just needed one wicket, but Inzamam-ul Haq played a brilliant innings to take Pakistan to victory by just one wicket.
We were confident and felt we had a chance, but somehow Inzamam denied us the chance. Had we won that match things would have been even better now.
Bangladesh shocked India in a One-Day International at home. How big a boost was the victory?
India is among the top teams in international cricket and it was really special to beat them.
Before the series, our target was to do well against India and try and improve, and then perform to our best in the following series against Zimbabwe.
I still when things clicked for us. We scored a respectable 229, and then bowled and fielded exceptionally well to win. The victory gave us a lot of confidence, which helped us perform well in the series against Zimbabwe.
You were one of the top batsmen in the Test series against India, scoring 221 runs in the two Tests, at 110.50, which included that brilliant 158 not out in the Chittagong Test. Did the chat with Sachin Tendulkar help you?
I spoke to Tendulkar after the first Test, as I was going through a phase where I was doing well in the first innings, but then failing in the second.
Since Tendulkar is my all-time favourite hero, I went to him for advice. He told me, 'Even if you score a big hundred in the first innings, still you start on zero in the second. You have to make a fresh start every time you come out to play.'
The advice paid instant dividends as I scored 158 not out in the first innings of the second Test at Chittagong.
I have grown up watching Sachin play. Former Bangladesh captain Aminul Islam is also my batting hero.
You made your entry into Test cricket with a bang, scoring a century on debut. What was the feeling like?
I was picked for the match as a leg-spinner. In the first innings I batted at no 7, and scored 26.
In the second innings, the captain, Naimur Rahman, told me to bat in his place at no 6 and it seemed to pay off as I scored that century (114).
It was a great feeling to score a century in your first Test, and that too playing away from home.
You were just 16 and faced no problems against Muthiah Muralitharan.
I did not have problems against Murali and played him easily.
The secret was playing without pressure during the innings. I just went out there and played my natural game. So, maybe that helped when I was facing the great spinner.
It seems you enjoy batting against the spinners. Even during the series against India you were comfortable against Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
When you score runs against the spinners it looks very easy, but when you don't it looks difficult.
I just go out there and play my natural game, no matter who the bowler is.
You are leading the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI in the Duleep Trophy. How much will the experience of playing in India's domestic competition benefit your team?
Playing in the Duleep Trophy will be a very good experience for our team. All the top Indian players are taking part, so the level of competition will be very high.
We have come here with a lot of youngsters. Hopefully, the young players will learn a lot and improve from the experience of playing in India.
Who do you think will emerge triumphant in the forthcoming India-Pakistan series?
It is a very difficult thing to predict, since both teams are very good.
I think Pakistan will have the upper hand since they have just come back from Australia. Any team that plays Australia raises their game, which helps them perform at a much higher level after that.
Pakistan played well in the latter part of the Australia tour and they will be very difficult opposition to face.
Photographs: Getty Images
