Explained: Why was Shakib Al Hasan biting his helmet string while batting vs India?

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was seen biting his helmet string while batting during Day 2 of the first Test against India at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Notably, Shakib walked in to bat with Bangladesh reeling at 36/4. The southpaw got his innings started with a few quick boundaries and got his eye in.
During his innings, the veteran all-rounder was seen biting his helmet string as he faced the versatile Indian bowling attack. Shakib’s tactics went viral on social media as fans began wondering the reason behind his unique routine.
IND vs BAN 1st Test Day 2 Live
Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik explained the reasoning behind Shakib’s habit on air and mentioned that his former teammate Tamim Iqbal revealed the reason behind his unique technique. Karthik mentioned that the string helped the former Bangladesh skipper to avoid his head from falling towards the leg side and keep it straight while facing the delivery.
The all-rounder has been struggling with vision problems and even consulted an ophthalmologist earlier this year in London. He was earlier seen biting his jersey while batting in the Global T20 Canada.
Shakib isn’t the only Bangladesh player to have a unique technique. Earlier, their opener Shadman Islam also revealed that his coach made him wear a cloth around his neck in practice to prevent his head from falling over while facing spinners.
Meanwhile, Shakib failed to get his team out of trouble as he got dismissed for just 32 (64) as he tried to attempt a reverse sweep against Ravindra Jadeja. However, he ended up getting an edge back onto his shoes which was caught by Rishabh Pant resulting in an unfortunate dismissal for the Bangladesh batter which left Bangladesh reeling at 92/7 in the second session.
Shakib remained the top scorer from his team as they were eventually bundled out for 149 with Jasprit Bumrah taking 4/50 while Mohammed Siraj (2/30), Akash Deep (2/19) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/19) picked up two wickets each. India got a massive lead of 227 runs in the second innings.