Murali Kartik handing T20I debut cap to Mayank Yadav© BCCI/Sportzpics

Former India spinner Murali Kartik was touched after head coach Gautam Gambhir invited him to present Mayank Yadav with his maiden India cap ahead of the T20I series opener against Bangladesh at Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior. Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy bith made their T2OI debut on Sunday against Bangladesh. Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, who was also part of the cap ceremony, presented fellow debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy with his India cap.

Kartik, visibly touched by the gesture, recalled his own India debut when he received his first cap from cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev 25 years ago.

“What a memorable day for this Speed Merchant Mayank Yadav… it took me back 25 yrs when I received my cap from Sachin & Kapil Paaji… A touching moment for me personally to be asked to present the cap by GautamGambhir, a wonderful gesture,” Kartik posted on X.

What a memorable day for this Speed Merchant #MayankYadav ..it took me back 25 yrs when i received my cap from Sachin& Kapil paaji… A touching moment for me personally to be asked to present the cap by @GautamGambhir …a wonderful gesture pic.twitter.com/dqwONnPPzA

— Kartik Murali (@kartikmurali) October 7, 2024

Kartik made his international Test debut back in 2000 against South Africa at Wankhede. He played eight Tests, 37 ODIs and a T2OI, claiming 61 wickets across the formats.

The former left-arm spinner offered words of encouragement to the young pacer Mayank, a 22-year-old fast bowler known for his ability to clock deliveries at 150 kph. He was making waves after just four matches in the 2024 IPL season. Mayank’s selection into the national team was fast-tracked following a strong recovery from a back injury.

Mayank did not disappoint on his debut. His first over in international cricket was a maiden, and he followed it up by picking his first wicket in his second over, finishing with an impressive 1 for 21 in his spell.

Nitish Kumar Reddy also contributed with an unbeaten 16, displaying composure in his debut outing.

India dominated the first T20I, led by Hardik Pandya’s all-round brilliance. Chasing a target of 128, India cruised to a seven-wicket victory, reaching the target in just 11.5 overs.

File photo of Ravi Shastri

Former Indian spinner Murali Kartik revealed on Saturday that the out-of-form Bangladesh all-rounder is suffering from discomfort in his spinning finger and shoulder. The all-rounder bowled seven overs on day three after skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto brought him into the attack, but was hit by Rishabh Pant for six fours and two sixes in a poor spell. This year has been tough for the veteran, having scored just 295 runs in 18 innings across all formats at an average of 19.66, with one fifty. He has also taken just 18 wickets at an average of 39.88 with the best figures of 4/35.

Kartik, handling the broadcasting duties in the match, was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo that Hasan has had a finger surgery on his bowling finger.

“Having seen him and known him for such a long period of time, I did go up to him and ask the reason why he has not bowled enough. And the thing which he said to me is something I completely resonate with. He has had a finger surgery on his bowling finger, which is the point of his finger of his left hand. It is swollen, it is rigid, there is no movement, no suppleness to it. So he feels he is not getting any feeling out of it. As a spinner you need the feeling. Also he is having issues with his shoulder so it is a combination of both and it’s tough to bowl in Test cricket where you need that feel as a spinner,” said Kartik.

Shakib faced a left index finger injury during the match against Sri Lanka in the 50-over World Cup last year, which kept him out of action for a few months. He also had an eye problem, which delayed his return to the Bangladesh team, having made his return in March this year.

Former Bangladesh captai Tamim Iqbal said that if Bangladesh picked up Shakib despite his injuries, they are playing a bowler short.

“Murali Kartik said that Shakib is having trouble gripping the ball due to this finger injury. If that is the case, Bangladesh are playing with four frontline bowlers. The team management should inform whether they knew about this injury or not,” Tamim said.

However, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief physician Dr Debashish said that they are not aware of any discomfort to Shakib due to an injury.

“Shakib had a fracture in his finger from the World Cup in India. Before that, he had an infection from another finger injury a few years ago. Shakib,, though has not recently complained about a finger or shoulder injury. A broken finger however can cause discomfort,” he concluded.

Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Yash Dayal© X (Twitter)