'It's all about sticking to my strengths' - Jangoo backs his instincts after Sylhet ton

West Indies batter Amir Jangoo believes staying true to his mindset through highs and lows has been key to his success in international cricket.

Jangoo's 133 from No. 5 helped West Indies recover from 27 for 3 on the opening morning of the Sylhet Test to post 356 all out. It was his second Test century, following his 233 against Sri Lanka earlier this year. He has also joined a select group of batters to score two centuries in their first ten innings in both Tests and ODIs. After being dismissed cheaply in the first Test while attempting a sweep, Jangoo stood by his shot selection, just as he did when he struck an inside-out six to bring up his century in the second Test. He attributes this impressive run to an unwavering belief in his approach.

"I have areas that I know where I can score from, so I know that once Taijul [Islam] bowled that ball in that area, no matter what score I'm on - I can be on zero, I can be on 94 - I will still try to hit the ball over there," Jangoo said. "So yeah, that's it for me. It's one of my strengths, hitting the ball over long-off. So that's why I executed it.

"I didn't have a change of mindset (after the Dhaka Test). I think that if you say that if I'll play that shot again, I would have done it. I just executed really badly on that day. So for me, it was all about sticking to my strengths. That shot was a strength of mine. I got some runs with that shot in this innings. So yeah, for me, it was all about just taking one ball at a time."

His innings against Bangladesh in Sylhet was methodical but also stylish. Jangoo plays his shots with flair, while showing eagerness to take control of tough situations. He said that the conditions in Sylhet were harder than in India, where he scored an ODI hundred recently.

"I think the (Sylhet) wicket was pretty different (than India). Going into bat, we were 20-something for 3. So I think the ball was seaming about a bit. So for me, it was all about adjusting my technique a bit, watching the ball a bit later, whereas the wickets in India, they were a bit truer and not much sideways movement.

"But having said that, after we weathered the storm during this Test match, it got a lot easier to bat. So yeah, the conditions were pretty different, but having said that, it was pretty difficult as well."

Jangoo said he was undone by a superb delivery from Hasan Mahmud. With the second new ball, Mahmud got the ball to seam away a few times, before getting one to jag back into the left-hander's offstump. Jangoo's dismissal triggered a batting collapse, as West Indies lost five wickets for 37 runs.

"I think he [Mahmud] bowled a consistent area," Jangoo said. "The ball was either seaming away or seaming in. So for me, I thought when the ball pitched on that length, I thought it would have seamed away.

"It was just poor judgment on my part. But having said that, credit to him, Hasan, for bowling those areas consistently for that period of time."

It has been an encouraging year in terms of batting for West Indies. Jangoo is one of the rising stars, and he believes it is the atmosphere within the batting unit that's helping with the progress of the side.

"I think we are trying to build a culture where even if you get out, get out to your strengths. All of us have our roles in the team. So for me, it was all about sticking to my strength and if I do get out in that manner, so be it. But don't let me go out of my comfort zone, getting out in a certain way where I'm not comfortable playing. So I think all of us understanding that and everyone buying into that, and you can see the rewards that we are getting in the team."

Jangoo hopes West Indies restrict Bangladesh within 250 in the first innings, although he acknowledged the task could be challenging with the pitch becoming increasingly easier to bat on.

"I'll say anything under 250 runs. I think the wicket is flattening out," he said. "Their fast bowlers bowled so brilliantly on that wicket and you can see now it is pretty difficult to get guys once they get in. So tomorrow may be a struggle for us, it may go a different way, you know how cricket goes at the end of the day.

"But I think for us, it's all about building pressure on that wicket. You can't really go out there searching too much because guys will score quickly. So trying to go out there and we'll just have to stay patient and hopefully we can get the wickets," said Jangoo.