Why Shakib Al Hasan was biting on a mysterious string while batting against India? Dinesh Karthik reveals

While Shakib Al Hasan usually catches the attention of cricket fans with his performance on the field, on Friday (September 20), he did so for a different reason.

The incident took place when the veteran allrounder was batting on day two of the ongoing India vs Bangladesh Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The former Bangladesh skipper had to walk out to bat quite early in the innings after his team was reduced to 36 for 4.

And it did not take him long to catch the fans' attention although not due to his batting. Shakib Al Hasan appeared to be biting down on the strap of his helmet continuously. However, a closer look at it showed that the Bangladesh star was not biting the helmet strap but a different piece of thread.

Here's why Shakib Al Hasan was biting the string:

Why is Shakib @Sah75official playing with a strap in his mouth?@JioCinema @JioCinemaTweets pic.twitter.com/tIHXPZRjqH

— Kartik Verma (@krazzzykartik) September 20, 2024

Shakib Al Hasan had the string in his mouth whenever he was on strike and let it go when he was at the non-striker's end. Later, Dinesh Karthik explained the reason behind Shakib's bizarre act. The former India cricketer stated that he came to know about it from his fellow commentator and Shakib's former teammate Tamim Iqbal.

The former cricketer-turned-commentator explained that biting the string was a cue for Shakib to keep his helmet straight while facing the bowler. The process is a sort of reminder for the veteran all-rounder to keep his focus on the bowler.

Talking about the game, Shakib got the start but could not last long. The left-handed batsman scored 32 runs before being dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja.

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh bowlers did not take long to wrap up India's innings. Bangladesh took the remaining four Indian wickets inside the first session as India were all out for 376 after starting the day on 339/6.

In reply, the visitors failed to make a good start with the ball. India's pacers made light work of Bangladesh's top and middle-order and reduced the tourists to 40 for 5. It was followed by a 51-run stand between Litton Das and Shakib. At the time of writing this report, Bangladesh were on 126/8.