Saif Hassan's development into a Test cricketer, in a country increasingly obsessed with the shorter formats, has the feel of a top-secret project. The story goes that at age-group levels, Hassan took long-format matches very seriously. As he grew older, batting for long periods became his thing. The captains and coaches he played for encouraged him to continue to bat his way because, in a country where nearly every batsman wants to hit fours and sixes, Hassan's approach helped stabilise batting line-ups.

On his first tour with the Bangladesh Under-17 team, he scored 96 and 72 in three-day games against Madhya Pradesh Under-17 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. He spent six hours and 14 minutes, and four hours and 20 minutes batting, respectively, during those innings. Then when he batted with caution in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, people called him "slow". Some doubted whether he even had any shots. But Hassan was just following the coach's orders to be at the anchor at one end, giving big-hitters Pinak Ghosh and Najmul Hossain Shanto the chance to go after bowling attacks.

Naturally, Hassan missed out on his first opportunity at big-money cricket in Bangladesh - the 2018-19 BPL - when, despite impressive numbers in domestic cricket, he wasn't picked by any of the franchises. His worth as a batsman was known to many coaches, but they kept quiet about him, hoping that he kept his interest in the longest format. No one really wanted to change his mindset. Lest he suddenly found the shorter versions more enticing.

Hassan used that time away from the BPL well. The long hours he spent in the nets during that tournament helped him become the highest run-scorer in that season's Dhaka Premier League, the one-day competition so revered in the Bangladesh domestic cricket.

Given this background, it is no coincidence that Hassan's first senior call-up, in November 2019, was to the Bangladesh Test side for the tour of India. Usually the Bangladesh selectors tend to give youngsters a T20I or ODI series for their first tour. Hassan was deemed likely to play the second Test, in Kolkata, but he injured his hand while taking a diving catch at gully, to see off Cheteshwar Pujara, as a substitute fielder in the first Test.

Once recovered from the injury, he finally made his BPL debut, for Khulna Tigers. More recently - and more significantly - he played a first-class game in which he batted five and a half hours to make 58. In the same game, Tamim Iqbal, the player he will likely partner at the top of the order on his Bangladesh debut, made a record breaking 334 not out. There must have been a lesson or two for young Hassan from the accomplished opener. Later, Hassan said that it is his childhood dream to open the batting with him.

Patience in age-group cricket, four years in top-flight domestic cricket, two double-hundreds in first-class cricket with an average over 45, a history of helping sides out of trouble both against the new and old ball, against pace and spin... it is now pretty clear where 21-year-old Hassan stands as a cricketer.

Coach Mizanur Rahman, who has worked with Hassan at age-group and club level, says that he has prepared well over the years to be where he is today.

"Hard work pays off, everyone around me says this. I like to practise on my own, so I usually stay back after the team leaves to bat a bit longer" Saif Hassan

"He is ready for Test cricket," Rahman says. "I think he is more Test-ready than some of his peers.

"Saif is patient as a batsman. He has shown this quality in many competitions. He was apprehensive about playing shots when he first arrived in the Under-19 team but, with time, he gained skills. Now he has improved by playing a lot of first-class cricket."

Hassan points out that, despite the popular opinion on him, he has been working on his batting for all three formats - it was after all in the one-day format Dhaka Premier League where he made 814 runs at 62.61 following his BPL snub. He carried that form into his time with Bangladesh A, impressing during a four-day competition in Bengaluru, as well as on a tour of Sri Lanka last month.

"I worked hard during the BPL last year as I wasn't picked by any of the franchises," Hassan told ESPNcricinfo a few days after his call-up to the national side. "I worked on areas outside my comfort zone. It gave me a good preparation for the Dhaka Premier League with Babul [Mizanur Rahman] sir. I used to come to the academy and bat for long hours in the nets.

"I didn't set a big target in the DPL last season. I just took it match by match, thinking that every match is important. I did the same when I played for Bangladesh A. I think any match can change my life."

Hassan got into cricket only after returning to Bangladesh from Saudi Arabia, where his father was employed. Once he was enrolled in a school in Bangladesh, it was time to play cricket.

"I used to play a little in Saudi Arabia, but I started to take training seriously at the Dhanmondi Cricket Academy. I played third-division qualifying matches for the club. I try to go there every time I am free and bat for long hours."

Hassan, who then moved to the Indoor Cricket Academy, credits his parents for letting him play rather than asking him to put all his focus on academics as most parents do in Dhaka. "When I started practising in DCA, there were many better cricketers than me," he says. "[But] my parents constantly supported me. They were never a barrier to my cricket dreams."

Hassan is known in cricketing circles for how he puts in extra work after training sessions. "Hard work pays off, everyone around me says this. I like to practise on my own, so I usually stay back after the team leaves to bat a bit longer."

Bigger tests await Hassan in the days ahead. But, his unique career path so far suggests that he has resolve and the skills to handle them, whatever they may be.