Young spinner Shoaib Bashir made his debut in England’s second Test against India which is being played at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. Shoaib Bashir impressed everyone with his performance in his debut game. After the pulsating opening day’s play, the 20-year-old shared how he ended up with the unusual jersey number 67.
After winning the toss, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma elected to bat first, which made way for another considerably impressive bowling performance from the England bowlers. One of the key highlights of the visitor’s lineup was 20-year-old Shoaib Bashir’s inclusion in the squad. He could’ve made his debut in Hyderabad itself but due to visa delay, he was not able to join the England team on time. The Somerset spinner attracted the attention of the cricket world even before he linked up with the squad in India.
Shoaib Bashir showed no signs of nerves as he impressed everyone with his performance in his debut as he took three wickets; the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, all-rounder Axar Patel, and tailender Mukesh Kumar. The Indian innings ended on 396 and now England has a challenge ahead of themselves to trail this total.
“It was a very special moment receiving my Test Cap. For me to get Rohit Sharma as my first wicket was very, very special. He’s a great player of spin as well. Yeah, I just look so grateful to God and my family. They’ve supported me through thick and thin” Shoaib Bashir told talkSPORT about his England debut.
Shoaib Bashir’s Unusual Jersey Number Caught The Attention Of Media And Fans
In a conversation with talkSPORT after his remarkable opening day, Shoaib Bashir explained that he initially wanted No. 13 on the back of his jersey. However, the off-spinner had to settle for No. 67, a calculative choice from the debutant. “The reason is that 13 is my favorite number and with the Lions, they couldn’t give me 13,” he said. “I went with 67 [because] six plus seven equals 13,” Bashir said about his jersey number.
Shoaib Bashir had an impressive debut for England but one batter who targeted him and troubled him the most was Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. Out of 396, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 209 runs for India and slammed his first double century in Test cricket, and for the sake of it, he completed his double ton with a six and a four which came against Shoaib Bashir. Jaiswal’s innings included 19 fours and seven sixes and he was brilliant with the bat.
England will now have to trail 396 and give a good lead to the Indians on this pitch which might help spinners from the second or third day. India lost the first Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs and now hopes to win this contest and level the series 1-1. England is the last team that defeated India in a Test series in Indian conditions. The hosts have not lost a Test series at home since 2012 when Alastair Cook-led England defeated India 2-1 in a four-match series. India has won 16 consecutive Test series at home since 2012.
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