Bangladesh men’s cricket team’s head coach, Chandika Hathurusinghe, confirmed on Wednesday that Shakib Al Hasan is available for India vs Bangladesh second Test against India. There were worries about his fitness following an injury sustained during the opening match of the series in Chennai. Shakib suffered a finger injury while batting against Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah in Chennai. The second Test is set to begin on Friday.
He is eligible for selection – Hathurusinghe
The 37-year-old spin all-rounder bowled only 21 overs across both Indian innings, having been introduced into the attack relatively late. Hathurusinghe stated, “I haven’t heard from my physio or anyone else. He is still eligible for selection,” after the team’s first training session in Kanpur. Despite Shakib’s struggles with the bat, Hathurusinghe expressed confidence in his capabilities, stating, “I am not upset about his performance. We could have done better overall. I’m sure he believes he can perform better. We all know what he is capable of.”
Shakib Al-Hasan in first Test
Shakib showed resilience against India, scoring 25 off 56 balls in the second innings and being the top scorer for Bangladesh in the first innings with 32 runs from 64 balls. However, his recent form has been disappointing, he scored 15, 2, and 21 not out in his last three matches against Pakistan, where Bangladesh celebrated a historic Test series victory.
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Security concerns addressed
Hathurusinghe also emphasised that the team is not worried about security issues amid political unrest back home, assuring, “We trust that the Indian board is looking after that.”
