Cricket News

‘Wo mujhe maarta tha yaar…’ – Former Pakistan pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar reveals his ‘toughest opponent’, name will surprise you! 

India vs. Pakistan match is always a blockbuster encounter which is full of high emotions and rivalry both on and off the field. Both the neighbouring nations have not faced each other in a bilateral series since 2012, but whenever they meet in a major tournament, the intensity is always similar. Over the years, this fierce battle has created many memorable moments for cricket fans, with many legendary players from both teams showing a never-give-up mentality.

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar was one of the players from these teams who dominated the sport for a long time with his sheer pace bowling. Arguably the fastest bowler to ever play the game, the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ has terrorised many world-class batters across the globe throughout his career. However, there was one man who gave Akhtar a hard time, whose name will surprise you, as it is not someone who belongs to the category of ‘world-class batters’ mentioned earlier.

He used to hate me like anything: Shoaib Akhtar 

In a conversation with Indian stand-up comedian Sorabh Pant on his podcast ‘Wake Up with Sorabh’, the former Pakistan pace spearhead opened up about his toughest opponent – Lakshmipathy Balaji, a former Indian fast bowler. Akhtar’s revelation would have taken everyone by surprise as one would never have imagined a bowler giving sleepless nights to the lethal right-arm pacer.

“I remember that my toughest opponent. I used to feel threatened by this batsman SV Balaji. No not him, another Balaji, he was a bowler …. Lakshmipathy Balaji,” Akhtar told Sorabh Pant. “Wo mujhe maarta tha yaar aakhir me aa kar (He used to beat me). He used to hate me like anything. I was all over the place man I could not get him out,” he recalled.

Not many will forget the match-up between Akhtar and Balaji during India’s successful tour of Pakistan in 2004. The final ODI of the five-match series was a series decider and India clinched the series with a 40-run victory at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Batting first, India scored 293/7 with Balaji also contributing 10* off 6 balls, including a six over mid-wicket against Akhtar.

The Men in Blue won the Test and the ODI series under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. Balaji had a great outing, scoring 45 runs out of which 35 runs came in boundaries. The right-arm pacer also picked up 6 wickets at an economy of under 6.