Mahmudullah's captaincy similar to that of Dhoni: Pathan

New Delhi: Irfan Pathan has heaped praise on Mahmudullah who is leading Bangladesh in the ongoing T20 International (T20I) series against India, saying the captaincy of the Bangladesh skipper is a bit similar to that of M S Dhoni.

Bangladesh registered their first-ever T20I win over India in Delhi last Sunday. However, they were unable to replicate their performance in Rajkot as they had to face a crushing eight-wicket defeat on Thursday.

"When you win a match against one of the best teams in the world, it helps in boosting your confidence and Mahmudullah had shown great qualities of a captain including the changes he made during the match," said Pathan speaking at the Nerolac Cricket Live show on Star Sports.

"There was a hint of Dhoni in his captaincy as he also used part-time bowlers after the power play which is a strategy often used by Dhoni," he added.

Meanwhile, out-of-favour spinner Harbhajan Singh believes wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim with all his batting experience will play a key role if Bangladesh are to win the series in Nagpur.

"Rahim is a player with lot of experience, his ability to play both spin and pace bowling is great and he has the maximum responsibility in the Bangladesh squad in terms of batting which gives him an edge over Mahmudullah who is also a good player," said Harbhajan.

India and Bangladesh will lock horns in the series-deciding final T20I at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur on Sunday before competing in the two-Test series beginning November 14.