India batting star, Virat Kohli gave one of his bats with his signature to the Bangladesh veteran all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan following the second Test in Kanpur where India cemented a dominant win to complete a 2-0 series sweep on Tuesday.
Shakib’s appearance in India would mark his last appearance in an overseas Test. In addition, he has also made it clear that the Kanpur Test could be his last if the current government of Bangladesh cannot ensure that he can safely make it out of the country.
Following India’s seven-wicket win, Kohli was seen making his way to the Bangladesh veteran with a bat in hand and was seen gifting it as a gesture of appreciating his long career.
The duo was seen exchanging pleasantries and sharing a laugh as Shakib did a bit of shadow-driving with the willow.
Currently, Shakib is facing a murder charge back home levelled against him during the civil unrest that led to former PM Sheikh Hasina’s ouster. Shakib was a member of parliament from Hasina’s party the Awami League.
The current regime in Bangladesh is not too keen on giving a farewell to Shakib with the current Bangladesh Cricket Board president Farukh Ahmed, saying that his organisation was not a security agency.
In such a scenario, Kanpur could well end up being Shakib’s 71st and last Test match. He is supposed to retire completely from international cricket after the Champions Trophy next year.
Shakib’s loss in international cricket will be a massive loss for the Bangladesh side who will in all certainty struggle to replace his all-round heroics in the future.
It is clear that the veteran is reaching the final stages of his career with performances becoming more and more infrequent by the minute. He did not have much of a contribution during the India series where he finished the tour by picking up four wickets and scoring just 66 runs in the two-match affair.
Nonetheless, Bangladesh cricket fans will have a lot to remember when it comes to the veteran all-round especially that ridiculous show in the 2019 ODI World Cup where he scored 606 runs and picked up 11 wickets in the tournament.
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