India and Pakistan players get along very well, Gambhir an exception: Shahid Afridi

Former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi has been one of the best entertainers to have played the game of cricket. Over his long illustrious career that lasted close to two decades, Afridi has given several moments of glory to his fans. ‘Boom Boom Afridi’, as he is popularly known, was perhaps the pioneer of six hitting art in the sport. Among all the matches that he played in his career, the ones against India always hogged the limelight.

Well, that comes as a given fact considering the high intensity matches the two teams have always been involved in. Now, the arch-rivals are all set to lock horns in the upcoming edition of the ICC Champions Trophy. In a recent column for ICC-Cricket.com, Shahid Afridi opened his thoughts about the big clash between the two teams in the tournament. He remarked that the teams share a great history in cricket and have a big clash coming up.

“We are now just a month away from the biggest cricket match of the year – the mouth-watering India-Pakistan face-off in the ICC Champions Trophy at Edgbaston. Like millions of fans around the world, I am also excited about the game and look forward to a highly entertaining match between the two traditional rivals, who have a rich cricketing history between them,” quoted Shahid Afridi.

Adding further, he noted that the only ICC event where the Pakistani team have had success over the Indian team is the Champions Trophy. When one talks about the ICC World Cups, the team has not beaten India even once in the history of the game. Hence, the Pakistani team will back themselves to come good this time around as well.

“The Champions Trophy is the only ICC event where Pakistan have had successes against India. We won the 2004 match at Edgbaston and then the 2009 match at Centurion. I hope the Men in Green deliver a rousing performance at Edgbaston to improve their record against India in global events,” remarked the former skipper.

The matches between India and Pakistan are always high intensity games. Time and again, the players have been seen involved in altercations on the field. Shahid Afridi also had his verbal duels with Gautam Gambhir during a fixture between the two sides. Afridi noted that the players of the two teams share great camaraderie between them. However, Gautam Gambhir remains to be the only player who has not been the friendliest to him.

“Contrary to popular belief, India and Pakistan players get along very well. Of course, there are exceptions like Gautam Gambhir, who dare I say isn’t the friendliest. We are unlikely to be found together at a coffee shop anytime soon. We had a heated exchange on the field some years ago and it made headlines all over the world. While I have moved on in life as I feel these things are part and parcel of the game, Gautam for some reason can’t get over it. Good luck to him!” he said.

Speaking on the same note, he quoted Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan as his best friends from the Indian cricket team. Talking about the current lot of players, he pointed out Virat Kohli as the player that he admires the most. He admitted that the sweet gesture of giving a signed jersey to him by Kohli won his heart big time.

“While Gautam is clearly an exception, I have enjoyed excellent relationships with Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. The three are one of my best mates and we have some wonderful memories together from the times when both the sides used to play and tour each other on a regular basis,” he quoted.

“Another player I admire and respect from the present lot is Virat Kohli. He has a fantastic cricket bat in hand and an even a better heart in his supremely fit body. I will always remember him for the gesture he showed when he gave me an India cricket team signed shirt following our match in Kolkata in the ICC World Twenty20 2016,” he added.

Talking about the upcoming Champions Trophy fixture, Shahid Afridi feels that the Indian team will walk in as the confident unit riding on their recent form. However, the Pakistani bowling would be a tough challenge for the men in blue. He expects the men in green to finish on top after the match.

“On the upcoming match in Edgbaston, I really hope that we see a classic Indo-Pak match. India has the strength as well as the psychological advantage based on its recent performances against us. India is a batting powerhouse brimming with talent, which is well supported by an aggressive and attacking bowling line-up,” conceded Afridi.

“But I feel that Pakistan has a formidable bowling line-up that can challenge the Indian batting, especially in the English conditions. As always, the match would be a game of nerves and both teams would have to maintain their composure throughout,” he conceded further.