I am not abusive towards Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag: Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistan fast bowler, has lashed out at Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. The Rawalpindi Express admitted that as humans the duo is of top quality. However, he also said they become abusive on television. Both the retired Indian batsmen are characters, who never back off from opining on various hot topics around the world.

Even after they retired, Gambhir and Sehwag have kept themselves pretty busy on the social media platforms, especially Twitter and Instagram. Akhtar, who has the record of the fastest delivery in cricket at 161.3 kmph, was clear cut in saying that he won’t be using foul languages on screen as he’s aware of the ones, who would be watching the television.

Shoaib Akhtar opines

“Sehwag and Gambhir are good human beings. They are very good people. But when they come on TV they say whatever comes to their mouth. Even I can use bad language and be abusive towards them. But I don’t say such things, because children will watch the show,” Akhtar was quoted as saying during a chat on the Helo App.

In his career, Akhtar has played alongside Sehwag and Gambhir quite a few times. In international cricket, the pacer has gotten rid of Sehwag five times. But Shoaib had gotten the better of Gambhir only once at the highest level.

Shoaib also picked their wickets up while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indian duo played for the Delhi Daredevils, now Capitals, and Akhtar ripped the team apart with a four-fer at the Eden Gardens back in 2008.

Akhtar also had words of praises for the young Naseem Shah. The veteran feels that with time, he will mature and will understand his bowling much better in the future. Earlier, Shoaib that he saw glimpses of himself in Shah, who made his debut in the 2019 Australia tour.

“Naseem Shah and few newcomers will follow my attitude. In the coming years they’ll also be more prepared and more conscious about their bowling rather than being aggressive. I’m very soft from the inside, but my image is serious and aggressive as a bowler,” he added.