Remodelled Shakib strikes back

Going into the India Test, Shakib Al Hasan had his back against the wall. He had posted his worst ever bowling average in the recently concluded two-match Test series against Pakistan and had taken just three wickets in the last three Tests.

The decline in Shakib's form was one of the major reasons why Bangladesh's bowling attack in Tests seemed somewhat desperate in recent times.

His four-wicket haul yesterday though seemed to help him take baby steps towards regaining his confidence. It wasn't a typical Shakib show. He wasn't exactly confusing the batsmen with his turners and armers, but it was a much better display than what he has produced of late.

He made it a point to flight the deliveries and patiently kept nagging the batsmen on a good line and length.

It was a much-needed boost of confidence for a player who took his tally of wickets in Bangladesh to 103.

Shakib, according to his childhood coach Nazmul Abedin Fahim's advice, bowled with a different action. It was a move that Shakib said paid dividends yesterday.

"I had a chat with him because I wasn't bowling well in the last three or four Tests. There are certain areas in my action, like my foot movement, where I can improve a lot. That helped me," said Shakib at the post-day press conference.

"I am not completely confident yet. I bowled well initially for a few overs and then went back to my old form later on. I need to do more drills with the new advice that I got in mind. I just spoke to my coach last night and tried to apply whatever I could. I will only get better with time," he added.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Fahim, who currently works for the BCB's game development, said that he asked Shakib to bowl with a more open-chested action in order to gain more power.

"He moved away from his original action mainly because of the problem with his shin. In order to avoid that he eventually started bowling with an action that could be described as post side-on and consequently couldn't generate much power.

"It has to do with the way he lands his back foot. I thought he enjoyed himself a lot more on the third day, but he still needs to work on it. He was able to loop the ball more frequently," said Fahim.