“Class is forever”, Hathurusingha said regarding Soumya

Soumya Sarkar‍‍`s comeback to form has delighted Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who thinks the opener can continue to perform well heading into Twenty20 series going to start on Wednesday against New Zealand.

"I‍‍`m quite pleased with Soumya‍‍`s performance. I always knew he is capable of playing well because he has shown it before ," Hathurusingha told the media in Napier on Tuesday. 

In the second One-Day International (ODI), Soumya hit a massive 169 against the hosts, the highest-ever score by an Asian batter in the format in New Zealand. In the third match, he performed well with the ball, taking three wickets.

Hathurusingha was relieved to see Soumya dominate at bat, but he wasn‍‍`t shocked because he trusted the left-hander‍‍`s skill.

"We all say that class is permanent. Form is influenced by various factors, specially by the thoughts. You can maximize your potential to the fullest extent possible if you are clear about what your role is, understand it, and feel at ease in surroundings," he said. 

The Sri Lankan is also optimistic about Soumya‍‍`s performance at the batting end in the forthcoming Twenty20 matches, which will serve as Bangladesh‍‍`s warm-up for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2019.

There is no reason why he can‍‍`t perform well in the Twenty20 matches if he is in a good mental state, he added.