Mushfiqur Rahim wears his heart on his sleeve. It is hard to find a more intense character among Bangladesh's cricketers, past or present. He turns up at training before the rest of the team and leaves well after all others have left the stadium.
Those who were present in Chattogram two days ahead of a Test match against Pakistan in 2021, may never forget seeing Mushfiqur train for roughly six hours straight. By the time he was done in the evening, Mushfiqur had batted in all four nets facilities at the venue.
None of that intensity has dropped despite his veteran status in the Bangladesh team these days. It was evident during the build-up to this Pakistan series, and in its two Tests so far. Mushfiqur played a supporting role in the Dhaka Test: first, batting with Najmul Hossain Shanto, and then, encouraging Nahid Rana from mid-off, during Rana's fifth-day spell.
In Sylhet, he grabbed the headlines as he roared for his historic 14th Test century. Then, he dropped his bat - a new addition to his roster of celebrations - and offered the sajda.
Beyond being an intense cricketer - and a supportive veteran at the age of 39 - in the Test side, Mushfiqur has always been a technically sound batter. He puts a high value on his wicket, which is rarely seen among the Bangladesh batters. When Bangladesh lost Mominul Haque at the end of second day's play, it was clear that one of Shanto or Mushfiqur had to lead the next morning, to give Bangladesh a strong position in this Test.
But Shanto struggled against Mohammad Abbas and Khurram Shahzad on the third morning, before falling lbw to the latter within the first half hour of play. Mushfiqur quickly stepped into the anchor's role, knowing that his survival would mean bigger things for Bangladesh. He presented the full face of the bat to any delivery he planned to touch. He left more deliveries than he played at during that phase. Then, the moment Litton Das looked settled at the other end, Mushfiqur pounced on anything full or short.
He drove the ball well, but it was the way he rode the bounce of the shorter deliveries that had a blunting effect on the Pakistan seamers. Mushfiqur doesn't play too many pull shots these days, but the amount of short balls on offer meant that he played with a horizontal bat often, and with aplomb. What stood out in this Mushfiqur innings was his hunger for the important runs. It would have been easy for him to play a safe, self-serving knock.
Instead, he played all around the wicket, forcing Pakistan into new plans by turning more proactive as the day went on. At one point, there was a brief - but heated - moment between Mushfiqur and Shan Masood at the crease. It was clear that Bangladesh's dominance had got under the Pakistan captain's skin.
Mushfiqur's 233-ball stay played a large part in their dominance. This included a 123-run fifth-wicket stand with Litton, and a 77-run partnership with Taijul Islam for the seventh wicket. Mushfiqur also extended Bangladesh's lead - and swelled Pakistan's eventual target - by adding another 41 runs with Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam and Nahid Rana.
Mushfiqur was the last man out and his long stay meant that Bangladesh had batted for more than 100 overs in their second innings - a mark they have crossed only 21 times in their Test history.
"An experienced batter at the other end makes all the difference," Taijul said. "Mushfiq bhai was giving me plenty of information, like what the bowler is trying to do, or what situation is about to unfold. These are the things an experienced batter knows quite well. We discussed these things from time to time. When you are with Mushfiq bhai in the middle, you can give 50% of your thinking into your batting, the rest is all him. Understanding situations becomes easier. It is great to have someone like him in the dressing room. They make life easier for the younger players."
Mushfiqur passed Mominul Haque - who has 13 centuries - as the batter with the most Test tons for Bangladesh. In the past, Mushfiqur has said that he relished his competition with Tamim Iqbal, as the pair kept crossing each other in the tally of most runs and centuries for Bangladesh. For someone as intense and focused as Mushfiqur, being competitive raised his own bar.
Now, he is raising the standards even further for the future generations of Bangladesh batters. It might be a high one to cross for those who follow, but right now, Mushfiqur continues to cement his legacy with it.