Harish Kotian in Chittagong /Rediff

Chittagong, May 16: Former Bangladesh cricketer Shakil Kasem on Wednesday slammed India's cricket manager Ravi Shastri for a comment he made earlier on the tour.

Referring to India as "minnows", Kasem, in his column for Bangladesh newspaper The Daily Star, also made some unpleasant remarks on India's Test cricket history.

He was referring to Shastri's remarks after India's victory in the second one-dayer in Dhaka, where the former India player said: "We will show no mercy because we take no prisoners."

What the former India all-rounder had simply meant was that his team would not relent even though it had already clinched the series.

But Kasem thought otherwise.

"One could have been forgiven if one thought this was John Buchanan, the coach of the all-conquering Aussies. But, no, surprise, surprise, it was the manager of the visiting team from India, the recently-concluded World Cup's overrated and over-hyped minnows," he wrote.

"A team that could not reach 200 runs in two out of three matches in spite of boasting of the most egoistic batting line-ups in international cricket is obviously suffering from an agro-based inferiority complex," he added.

The writer also questioned India's Test history, saying, "When was the last time you won a Test series outside the comfortable retreat of your home ground? About the same time Haley's comet was last sighted?"

"For how long was India playing Test cricket when they were 0 for 4 against England, arguably the still the worst display of batting in Test history? And what about score of 42 all out at Lord's? Even the song 'The Summer of 42' lasted longer than that innings."

The writer, who was a cricketer in the 1970s, but never played in international cricket, was no doubt unhappy after India's 2-0 series victory and may have expected more from his countrymen after that splendid run at the World Cup. So it came as no surprise that he chose to put down all his frustrations in his column.