Off late, Hridoy has emerged as an important batting prospect for Bangladesh, as he notched 918 runs across all three formats in his debut international year (2023). He provided consistency in the middle-order with his stable returns in the white-ball formats.
Hridoy’s strokeplay, including his tendency to take the aerial route over covers and his supple wrists made him a force to reckon with against both spinners and pacers. Despite playing over 50 international matches, Hridoy played only 14 first-class games, showing that his future rests primarily in the limited-overs format.
He scored 92 on his ODI debut against Ireland, which remains the highest by any Bangladeshi batter playing his first game till date. By his first 30 ODIs, Hridoy had already scored seven half-centuries, while striking at over 130 in the format – displaying a rare six-hitting ability among Bangladeshi batters.
Hailing from Bogra, Hridoy moved to Dhaka as a teenager for training, only to fall for a scam. However, former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud spotted him at another camp and drafted him into age-group cricket. He was part of the 2020 Under-19 World Cup-winning squad and had earlier played in the 2018 edition.
His early Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) struggles included a heartbreaking 2022 final, where he failed to seal the win for Fortune Barishal. However, a shift in training methods saw him score 403 runs in the 2023 season, catching national selectors’ attention. He built on that with an even better 2024 BPL, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer with 462 runs at a strike rate of nearly 150 for Comilla Victorians, solidifying his status as a future mainstay.
First Published: Feb 20, 2025 6:05 PM IST
