Shakib Al is trying everything he can to get his form back: Najmul Shanto

At Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, veteran Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan struggled in the middle of the first Test match against India. The 37-year-old gave up 50 runs in eight overs during the first innings and 79 runs in 13 overs during the second innings for India. Shakib did not do well at the bat either, scoring 25 and 32 runs in each of the two innings. As one of the oldest players in the locker room, Shakib took a fair share of criticism after India won the match by 280 runs.

Following the match, captain Najmul Shanto stood up for the player, saying that he was making every effort to regain his form. As a leader, the 26-year-old said he monitors each player’s effort, and Shakib’s form doesn’t appear to be an issue for him.

He also gave an explanation for why Shakib Al was not used to his full potential during the game’s opening innings.

As a captain, I pay close attention to the amount of effort a player puts into their play. Shakib Al Hasan is exerting every effort to regain his form. In addition to Miraz bowling brilliantly, our speed bowlers were doing an outstanding job. We immediately took six wickets, therefore I didn’t think Shakib needed to be used a lot,” Shanto stated following the match.

Never feel at ease discussing a player’s performance: Najmul Shanto

Since it’s a team game and he feels uncomfortable talking about just one player, Shanto stated that he didn’t want to talk about Shakib in great detail. He stated that the team’s performance is what matters most and that the squad can only succeed if everyone plays as a unit.

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“I’m not at ease discussing a player’s performance. This is a team game, and the only way to win is by working as a unit,” Shanto stated.