Mushfiqur Rahim was speaking to Nahid Rana during the quick bowler's now-famous last spell against Pakistan in the Dhaka Test earlier this week. It wasn't unusual. Mushfiqur is the senior man in the side and a former captain. And Najmul Hossain Shanto often turns to Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur and Taijul Islam - Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz are also waiting to be asked - for help in the field.
Bangladesh may have lost the experience of 191 Test caps with Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah going away in the last five years, but the same period has seen the emergence of a new set of experienced cricketers, with Mushfiqur the bridge between the two periods.
That Mushfiqur is now 101 Tests old showed in almost everything he did in Dhaka, barring taking a ride on Mominul's moped after the Test win. That moped had on its seat 177 Tests worth of weight - Mominul has played 76. Litton, Taijul and Mehidy have all played more than 50 each. It is this depth of experience that has played its part in paving the way for Bangladesh's steady improvement in Test cricket since the pandemic.
On that count, the gap between Bangladesh and Pakistan is pretty big. Babar Azam has played 61 Tests for Pakistan, but no one else has played 50. Overall, the Bangladesh XI in Dhaka had 511 caps between them compared to 353 for Pakistan. It is in those pressure moments that the difference sometimes becomes evident.
Like in the Dhaka Test.
When Bangladesh slipped to 31 for 2 on the first morning, Shanto and Mominul assessed the situation calmly. They added 170 runs for the third wicket to rebuild the innings. The process was simple. Shanto was the more adventurous, driving the ball with competence, and Mominul took a step back, feeding his partner more of the strike.
This continued till Shanto slowed down, after which Mominul took over with a few boundaries. He might not have planned to, but the opposition bowlers helped: they were defensive against Shanto, so they were a little more attacking with Mominul, who then found a few loose deliveries to put away.
The two did an encore in the second innings, starting from an almost identical 23 for 2 to add 105 runs for the third wicket, which proved pivotal. Mominul looked a little more enterprising this time, with Bangladesh pushing for a strong lead and an early declaration, but their scoring rates in the two innings were similar: Mominul went at 45.50 and 46.66, while Shanto scored at 77.69 and 58.00.
Mushfiqur, while speaking at the press conference ahead of the second Test, called Mominul and Taijul the pillars of the Test team. They are known in Bangladesh as the leading Test specialists, which means that they have to train on their own in the long breaks between Test series.
"I think the most influential people in the Test team are Mominul and Taijul," Mushfiqur said. "Since I have been playing Test cricket only in the last few years, I can easily feel their pain - they have been at it for the last ten to twelve years. They don't complain about anything. They have been working hard day in and day out. They maintain the process, but it's not that easy. I am inspired by them, and every time I do well, they are really happy for me. They make sure there is a positive vibe in the dressing room, which is already full of consistent performers. There are many who raise their hand when there's a challenge in front of us."
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After the Dhaka Test, Shanto spoke about the importance of bowling partnerships. He said that it had been drilled into the bowlers that during a spell, they had to keep an eye on the bowler at the other end to complement him. When the pressure was building on them on the third day, Taskin Ahmed and Mehidy combined to take four wickets in a short burst. Pakistan collapsed from 210 for 1 to 230 for 5, and had to rebuilt to get close to Bangladesh's 413.
Bowling partnerships came to the fore on the fifth day too, when Taskin combined with Taijul and Rana to pick up wickets, and then Mehidy and Taijul tightened things in the middle of the day. Shanto said that the plan was to cut off runs from both ends, luring false shots from the batters.
Rana is relatively new, but Taijul, Mehidy and Taskin are hugely experienced. That told.
But while experience shows often, there is a lot of room for improvement among the others. Shadman (27 Tests), Ebadot Hossain (23), Mahmudul Hasan Joy (21) and Zakir Hasan (13) haven't yet shown the consistency Bangladesh would want. Mahmudul and Shadman were tentative with their footwork in Dhaka, though the latter got out to very good deliveries. Ebadot was the lone wicketless bowler in both innings, though he is a much-improved bowler from three seasons ago.
But the development of Bangladesh in Test cricket, like much else in Bangladesh cricket, is despite the system and not because of it. The culture of Test cricket current on display almost feels inadvertent.
Which is why the World Test Championship series later this year in Australia (where they have played Test cricket only twice, both in 2003) and South Africa (only eight Tests, no wins) are not ideal. To place well on the WTC table, they will have to bank on home Tests against West Indies and England.
Mushfiqur, Shanto, Taskin and the others are not miracle men. They are hard-working cricketers who navigate a broken system off the field with the task of pleasing one of the most demanding fan groups on it. Experience is their strength and partnerships, with bat and ball, their calling card. For now, those will come together in the hope of another series win against Pakistan. Tougher Tests await, and can wait for the time being.