After India and Bangladesh’s second Test match ended at Green Park, Kanpur, star batsman Virat Kohli gave all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan his bat. Shakib stated before the second Test that the Test series against South Africa will be his final red-ball cricket match; but, given the current state of affairs, it’s possible that he won’t travel back to Bangladesh to play in the series due to the nation’s ongoing political unrest.
This suggests that the cricket player may have already completed his final Test match. When questioned whether the Indian team or the BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla had anything special planned for Shakib on Day 5 of the Test following Day 4, the seasoned administrator replied that they had not received any formal word from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
“We thought Shakib would play his final game at home the following month. We have not received any official information regarding his retirement. Shukla stated during the news conference, “We will surely give anything we hear formally some thought.
Virat Kohli gifted his signed bat to Shakib Al Hasan and congratulated him❤️
– King Kohli as always! 🥹🫡 pic.twitter.com/8RHS27i9lw
— प्रशिक्षित 🇮🇳 (@Prashikshit7) October 1, 2024
In the meantime, a moment that went viral on social media saw Virat Kohli give the old cricket player a bat following the match.
In 71 Test matches, Shakib has scored 4609 runs at an average of 37.77 while playing for Bangladesh. Additionally, in the longest format, he has 246 wickets. Prior to the series against India, he was a member of the team that won the two-match Test series against Pakistan away from home.
Bangladesh has suffered greatly from Shakib’s retirement, since he has been their best all-round player and a proven match-winner in all formats.
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Having said that, his performance in red-ball cricket has declined recently, as evidenced by the series he played against India and Pakistan. In the series over India, Shakib amassed 66 runs in four innings and claimed four wickets.