IND vs BAN: Bangladesh All-Rounder Shakib Al Hasan Doubtful For Kanpur Test?

Bangladesh could be without key all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for the second Test against India, starting on Friday (September 27) at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. The southpaw injured his finger during the series opener in Chennai.

Shakib picked up the injury when he was struck by a fiery delivery from Jasprit Bumrah, forcing the veteran all-rounder to be kept away from bowling for a long periods of the Test. The left-hander bowled a total of 21 overs across two innings.

According to a report in CricBuzz, Bangladesh cricket team management is yet to make a final decision on Shakib's availability for the second Test with a few days left for the match to begin in Kanpur.

Hannan Sarkar, member of the Bangladesh Cricket Board's selection panel, has said a final call on Shakib's availability will only be taken after the two training sessions in Kanpur.

"We are heading to Kanpur tomorrow (Tuesday) and today is a day off. We will have two sessions afterwards and we will judge after that (regarding Shakib's availability in second Test) and we don't want to make a decision yet," Hannan told reporters at Chennai on Monday (September 23).

"These two days, the physio has kept him under observation. When we get back to the ground, we will get the physio's feedback. We have to think before picking Shakib for the next match and there is time before the next match. We will see what condition he is in," he said.

There were also reports that the all-rounder was injured even before the Chennai Test, but Hannan dismissed that, saying Shakib was 100 per cent fit before the first Test and had received complete clearance from the physio to play.

"We know the pain in his hand is being discussed. It was not there before the match and many have tried to explain it in different ways. But before the match, we got a 100 percent clearance from the physio before taking him. He was a 100 percent fit then," added Hannan.

"You can't say it's an injury. The discomfort he felt in that finger was not there before the match. He felt that when he started to bowl."

Although Shakib contributed to very little in the first Test, the all-rounder will be crucial to Bangladesh's chances of bouncing back in Kanpur. However, without him being able to bowl will be a blow to Bangladesh.