No longer in awe of opponents: Iqbal

“We used to feel you are playing Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag and were in awe. Now, we play them as just another player. That is one of the positives and an improvement in recent times,” Iqbal said on the eve of the second Test against India.

“The main factor for this turnaround in attitude is coach Jamie Siddons. We believe in him. He was the main guy in changing the attitude. Obviously, the more the matches we play, the better our cricket gets,” he added. There was talk of Indian players sledging Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, but Iqbal said verbal duel was a part of cricket. “Let me make it clear that sledging is a part of the game. There is nothing wrong in it.”

The left-hander said he had been trying to adapt to the rigours of Test cricket. "In ODIs, you can survive but in Tests, you need to be on top of the game. It's a great challenge. I am a batsman who likes to bat lesser balls for more runs. I am trying to change that for Tests. I am concentrating on batting long and I know if I stay there, runs will come. It's a matter of focus and concentration.”