PTI

Chittagong, May 22: Impressed with the new-look Indian team, Bangladesh vice-captain and dashing willower Mohmmad Ashraful said the visiting side is high on quality.

Drawing a comparison between the present Indian team and the one that toured Bangladesh in 2004, Ashraful said the current lot was a more youthful one.

"There are several young players, new faces. But this team is also high on quality," Ashraful said.

While appreciating the youthful nature of the Indian team, Ashraful did not forget to mention one old warhorse in the rival squad he idolises the most.

Admiring Sourav Ganguly for his leadership qualities, Ashraful said the former Indian captain was a tough cricketer.

"He is a tough man. He is tough as captain, and the toughness also shows in his batting," he said.

"The Indian team did really well in the five years he was at the helm of affairs. He is a top performer," said Ashraful, who has played 34 Tests and 101 ODIs for Bangladesh.

However, Ashraful shied away from making any comparison between Ganguly and current Indian skipper Rahul Dravid.

"It will not be proper. They have their own styles. And I don't want to get into any controversy," he said.

Promoted as deputy to skipper Habibul Bashar for the series, Ashraful is taking his new role positively and is ready for any bigger responsibility in the future.

"I have taken my new role positively. I have captained in domestic cricket. As a skipper, I have given my teams good results. The pressure of captaincy has never affected my batting," says Ashraful, who got into the record books on his debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2001 by becoming the youngest cricketer to crack a Test hundred.

Having established his position in the Bangladeshi team, Ashraful fondly looked back at the hard work he put in a few years ago to cement his place in the side.

"I had to come to practice by boat during the floods as I could not afford to miss practice. The boatman used to charge 20 Banlgadeshi taka," he said with a smile.

And now he treasures the result of his hard work, the three centuries he has struck in Test cricket.

"Each of the three Test hundreds I have made are special to me," added Ashraful, who also idolises Aussie legend Steve Waugh and New Zealand's Stephen Fleming for their captaincy and Sachin Tendulkar and former Bangladesh skipper Aminul Islam Bulbul for their batting skills.

On the current Test series, Ashraful said, "We want to do well after the 0-2 loss in the ODIs. I will feel good if I can contribute significantly."