Photos and videos of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan playing football wearing Messi’s Argentina jersey went viral on social media ahead of the second Test vs India.
Bangladesh’s captain Shakib Al Hasan, right, wearing a jersey of Argentina’s football player Lionel Messi, plays football with a teammate during a training session ahead of their second test cricket match against India, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)(AP)
Messi fever gripped the ongoing Bangladesh vs India Test series. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was seen practising wearing Lionel Messi’s Argentina jersey at Mirpur on Tuesday ahead of the second and final Test match which starts Thursday. Shakib, known to be an ardent fan of Messi, was seen playing football with his Bangladesh teammates. Cricketers playing football to warm up during the practice session is quite the norm but they generally do that in the team’s practice gear. What made Shakib’s move noteworthy was the all-rounder’s decision to wear Messi’s Argentina jersey.
Photos and videos of Shakib playing football wearing Messi’s jersey went viral on social media.
Watch Video: Shakib Al Hasan practices wearing Lionel Messi’s Argentina jersey
This was after Shakib had already hogged the headlines for driving in the busy streets of Mirpur wearing Argentina’s jersey after Messi led his side to a World Cup win beating France 4-2 (3-3) in the penalty shootout in Qatar.
Shakib, whose fitness came under scanner after he bowled only 12 overs in the Test match in Chattogram which Bangladesh lost by 188 runs, was seen in a good mood before the series decider. The hosts would need Shakib in full flow if they wish to level the series. The left-hander had played an attacking knock of 84 in the second innings of the series opener.
The visitors will however again be without injured skipper Rohit Sharma after he missed the first Test with an injured thumb, the Indian cricket board said Tuesday.
India are currently second in the Test Championship league table behind Australia, who are currently 1-0 up against South Africa in a three-match series at home.
The current cycle runs to June 2023, with the nine teams each playing six series. The top two sides will meet in the final at the Oval in London.
Set a monumental target of 513 runs, Bangladesh put up a strong fight with Zakir Hasan and Najmul Hossain sharing a record opening partnership of 124.
Debutant Zakir made 100 and skipper Shakib Al Hasan added 84 but India kept their cool and got the win, with Axar Patel taking four wickets and Kuldeep Yadav — the player of the match — grabbing three.
