How Bangladesh are planning to counter wrist spin

Bangladesh hardly produce legspinners. Where legspinners are a rare breed, chinaman or wrist spinners are almost like wild imaginations. But the opponents do have a number of wrist spinners and the batters need to face them in the upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup. That is why Karapak Jiyas from India has been brought in for the Tigers' training camp ahead of the Asia Cup.

Karapak Jiyas may not sound familiar to many people in the cricket fraternity. No, this spinner from Kerala is not someone really famous. He did get a call-up to play for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL but didn't play any matches there.

But he is still a very familiar face among Bangladeshi cricketers. Batters had faced him before in a few occasions. 

Jiyas lives in the UAE. Whenever any team sets up a camp in there, Jiyas is called up. Bangladesh's former T20 consultant Sridharan Sriram knew him from before, and it was Sriram who brought him to the Bangladesh camp before the Asia Cup last year.

Jiyas was with the Bangladesh team for a long time last year. After the Asia Cup, he was there with the Tigers in the T20 World Cup as well. 

Since Sriram left his job, Jiyas wasn't seen anymore. But as the Asia Cup approaches, the Indian spinner has been called up to the skill camp again.

Jiyas joined the Tigers' skill camp on Tuesday and he has been living in the academy building in Mirpur. He will be with the Bangladesh team as long as the side wants him, the assistant manager of BCB's cricket operations and former cricketer Shahriar Nafees informed The Business Standard (TBS).

"He will help us get prepared for the Asia Cup. He was here during the last time as well. He is a chinaman, an Indian cricketer living in the UAE," Nafees told TBS.

Jiyas is a long-known companion of Sriram. Sriram brought Jiyas to the Australian nets in 2017 when to prepare the batters against Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal when he was the spin bowling coach of the Aussies.

Jiyas has been added to the team at the request of the head coach. Shrinivas Chandrasekaran, the computer analyst of the Bangladesh team, told head coach Chandika Hathurusingha about Jiyas. That is why Hathurusingha asked him to practice for the Bangladesh team. If necessary, he will be with the Bangladesh team in the World Cup held in India.

But Jiyas never went close to making his dream become reality. The 31-year-old didn't even play in the likes of Ronji Trophy, Duleep Trophy let alone wear the famous blue jersey of India.

Jiyas is called 'the Kerala Maxwell' by his friends because of a similar face structure. He can also hit the ball long and hard and that has cemented the nickname too.