The former India head coach had come out to run the toss at The Hundred fixture between Birmingham Phoenix and Welsh Fire. He left holding a signed cap and a signed ball.
“The autograph is for my daughter,” Shastri told Sky Sports. “She wouldn’t have allowed me home if I had not taken it.”
Bellingham, the Real Madrid midfielder, was at Edgbaston in a role he only picked up in April: a 1.2 percent stake in the Birmingham franchise, bought equally from Warwickshire County Cricket Club and majority owner Knighthead Capital Management for a price reported at around £1 million.
He walked out with Phoenix captain Donovan Ferreira and Welsh Fire skipper Phil Salt before flipping the coin, arriving on the day with his parents, Mark and Denise, and spending time on the outfield signing autographs for fans.
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Shastri afterwards wrote on X: “Great to have Birmingham’s own galáctico, in the house for the toss at The Hundred. What a player. What a World Cup. Class written all over him. Good luck for the season ahead!”
The cricket itself went the way of the visitors. Welsh Fire chased down 137 in 96 balls to win by seven wickets, taking the shine off Bellingham’s first appearance as an owner at a Birmingham Phoenix men’s fixture.
Aleka Shastri, by her father’s account, was the one who made sure he came home with the signed cap.
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