Kanpur: Indian ace batter Virat Kohli gifted his signed bat to the star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan who will be bidding farewell to Test cricket soon. India completed a 2-0 series whitewash over Bangladesh on Tuesday by beating the visitors.
This will be the last overseas Test for Shakib. He has already clarified that he will play the home series against South Africa only if the current Bangladesh government ensures a smooth passage out of the country for him.
After the conclusion of the Kanpur Test, Kohli was seen walking towards the Bangladesh cricketer and handing his bat to Shakib in a heartwarming gesture. The duo was seen engaged in a friendly conversation and the latter was doing some shadow practice with the willow.
Shakib is one of the popular overseas cricketers thanks to his Indian Premier League (IPL) stints. He has played 71 IPL games, most of which came for Kolkata Knight Riders while he represented Sunrisers Hyderabad in a few matches.
Currently, Shakib is facing a murder charge against him in his home country. The charges were levelled against him during the civil unrest in Bangladesh which led to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster. The 37-year-old was an MP from Awami League.
The current regiment in the country is not too keen on giving farewell to the Bangladesh all-rounder. The cricketer currently resides in the USA and has hinted that he might retire from international cricket after the Champions Trophy scheduled to be played next year.
