Kohli, Kayes renew ties from Brisbane

Produced in Bangladesh, MKS Sports bats have been making the rounds locally and received a big boost when last year they received ICC approval to brandish their logo in international cricket.

MKS is an acronym of the names of the three partners: cricketers Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Imrul Kayes, and Shahin -- Rajshahi's 'bat doctor' Hossain Muhammad Aftab.

The very willows made it to Kanpur on Friday and were gifted to India superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by Shahin, on behalf of the company, who informed members of the media that Kohli was particularly excited to receive the bat.

The gifts also renewed ties between Kohli and  former Bangladesh opener Kayes, who both shared a camp in Australia.

"Virat and I were in Australia for many days in 2008 during a camp -- in Brisbane's Centre of Excellence for HP -- before making the national team," Kayes informed The Daily Star.

The gift of Bangladesh-made bats is a gesture that brings wider international recognition for Kayes and company. However, MKS Sports will have to compete against Indian and Pakistani bat manufacturers, who have over 50 years of experience, to carve out a space for themselves in the market.

While MKS is far off from known names in the bat industry for now, the excitement and feedback from Indian superstars should help the brand gear up for new challenges going forward.