'People Compare Me To Bradman': Mushfiqur Rahim On Criticism He Faces

Mushfiqur Rahim has played 81 matches and scored 5037 runs in 149 innings at an average of 36.5.

Mushfiqur Rahim is one of the best top players ever to play for Bangladesh. He has been around the international circuit for a long time now. Rahim along with Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan have played a massive role in taking Bangladesh to new heights around the globe. 

In the first test against Sri Lanka as well, Rahim and Tamim were the two centurions for Bangladesh in the first inning. While Tamim scored 133 while opening the inning, Rahim made 105 runs batting at number five. 

During his 105-run knock, the veteran wicketkeeper batter surpassed 5000 runs in test cricket to become the first from Bangladesh to achieve this feat. 

After the fourth day's play, Rahim spoke about the feedback he often gets from the Bangladeshi fans on his performances. He said that some days the fans compare him with legendary Australian cricketer Sir Donald Bradman and some days they criticise him a lot. 

"Only in Bangladesh, I have seen that people compare me to Bradman when I score a century, but then when I don't score runs, I feel like digging a hole for myself. I am one of the senior players so we are not going to be around for long. But this is becoming a culture, so the younger players need the support. If I have to spend so much time tackling these things off the field, our on-field duties get affected," Mashfiqur said. 

Making his test debut in 2005, Rahim has played 81 matches and scored 5037 runs in 149 innings he batted at an average of 36.5. Rahim has scored eight centuries and three double tons including the highest score of 219. He is the highest test run-scorer for Bangladesh and second-highest run-getter in all formats combined - 13229.