Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy believes 350 is a chaseable target on the final day of the second Test against West Indies, provided the hosts get off to a good start.

West Indies ended Day 4 in Sylhet on 345 for 3 in their second innings, extending their lead to 315 runs. Kavem Hodge remained unbeaten on 140, with Amir Jangoo on 20, leaving Bangladesh with a sizeable target to chase on the final day, if and when they declare.

Hridoy, who is currently Bangladesh's highest scorer in the match following his unbeaten 242 in the first innings, believes the pitch remains conducive to batting and that should encourage the hosts to fight it out on the final day.

“Look, it will depend on how we start. The wicket is still good. If we can start well first, then I think it's possible to chase. But it's still not possible to say what will happen tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll have to see how many runs they target, then we'll plan accordingly,” said Hridoy.

“So far, it's batting-friendly. The fifth day tomorrow is definitely a very important day. What I feel, as I said before, the start is very important. If we can start well, 350, I think, is chaseable. But as I said repeatedly, the start is very important,” he added.

Hridoy also said he takes criticism in his stride and does not allow it to affect him, recognising that both praise and criticism are part and parcel of a professional sportsperson's life.

His place in the Test XI had come under scrutiny following the opening Test against West Indies in Dhaka, where his shot selection in two dismissals attracted criticism and prompted questions about his suitability for the longer format. He responded emphatically with the bat in Sylhet, producing a marathon unbeaten 242 that helped Bangladesh recover from a precarious position and secure a first-innings lead.

“First I want to say thanks to Allah that I was able to contribute to the team. Criticism, that will always be there. In your profession or any profession, there will be criticism. The day we do well, you are always the ones who speak for us, speak positively. The day we do badly, you will be the ones to say it, that's very normal. So, what I feel is that there is a lot to learn from criticism if I think about it in the right way,” said Hridoy.

Hridoy said he was not thinking about surpassing Mushfiqur Rahim to become Bangladesh's highest individual scorer in Test cricket while compiling his monumental innings. “It (being the highest scorer in Test cricket) was my destiny. I didn't actually think about who I was surpassing or what would happen. In that situation, what I felt was that I tried to fight as much as possible for the team to take them to a good position.

“Everyone is very happy, Alhamdulillah. Mushfiq Bhai was also very happy, and Mushfiq Bhai is not just happy for me, he is always very happy and supportive whenever any player in the team performs, whether it's a batsman or a bowler,” he added.

However, the right-hander stopped short of describing the innings as the most special of his career. “To be honest, this innings will definitely give me a good feeling and confidence for the future. But if you ask me about a special one, I don't want to indicate which innings is 'the one' for me.”

Hridoy also spoke about how he managed the two crucial partnerships with Taijul Islam and Taskin Ahmed during Bangladesh's first innings. He added 117 runs with Taijul (22) for the eighth wicket before putting on another 85 with Taskin (12) for the ninth.

“I was set and my day was going well with the bat which felt good. I tried to contribute as much as possible for the team,” he said. "As a set batsman, I always tried to get as much as possible from them (tail) whether with a couple of words or a couple of plans. But at the same time, I will say that the way they batted was outstanding. Perhaps the team has come this far because of them.

“The way they handled the pressure, I think it was a tremendous effort from both of them. So, we already know that both of them bat very well. In Test cricket, sometimes there isn't much pressure for runs. They utilized it according to the plan they had,” he said.