It's not about me, it's about the team always: Shakib Al Hasan
Star Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan recently opened up about his cricketing journey and his roots.
While speaking on Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) official YouTube channel, Shakib Al Hasan gave fans a glimpse into his journey as a cricketer after making his international debut for Bangladesh in 2006.
He began by talking about the inception of cricket in Bangladesh.
"The time I am talking about is maybe 2001 or 2002 when cricket had started getting big in Bangladesh. So, everyone started liking the sport. Not that they didn't use to like it. They used to like it, but it wasn't big in Bangladesh. From then on, when we got the Test status, we started getting bigger and bigger every day. So more kids were involved in playing cricket then."
Shakib Al Hasan also spoke about his journey to becoming a world-class all-rounder. In the earlier stages, he mentioned that cricket was his passion and hobby, but he never thought of making it a profession.
"Whenever I played U-15, U-17, and U-19, I did well. So I never thought that I have to be selected for the team to do well or things like that because it was not in my head at all. So whenever I used to go for any tour, I used to have all the books of my class, I used to study those, and when I come back, I had to take my exams."
Shakib Al Hasan's family always wanted him to become a teacher, engineer, or doctor, so he had to continue his studies while playing the sport at a junior level. But destiny had other plans for the southpaw.
I never thought of being the No. 1 all-rounder: Shakib Al Hasan
Initially, neither Shakib Al Hasan nor his family thought of cricket as a profession. But after he played for 2-3 years, the mindset gradually changed.
The 34-year-old also mentioned that he did not face failure during the first phase of his journey, so he did not have to wait long to make his international debut (2006).
"That time, there were not much of expectations, to be honest. After the 2011 World Cup, I think the expectations really started to begin that, yes, Bangladesh needs to do well. So that was the first time I felt the expectations level.
"I never thought of being the No. 1 all-rounder or No. 1 batsman or No. 1 bowler. It is just that I wanted to do well. If I keep my process right, I do well for my team, I contribute for my team, these ranking things will take care of themselves. So I never thought of it."
Shakib Al Hasan concluded by saying:
"At first, I did not even know this thing exists (about rankings). I never thought that I have to become the best player. I always thought I have to be the best player on my team and have to contribute more than anyone else to the team to be able to win the games. It is not about me, it's about the team always."