'Sachin Tendulkar is a very good friend of mine' - Shoaib Akhtar opens up on his relations with Indian cricketers

Shoaib Akhtar was always in the news during his playing days due to the pace he generated. He instilled fear in many batsmen with his 150 kph bowling. His duels with the Indian players were talked about the most. And it was at its peak during the 2003 World Cup which is why Sachin Tendulkar hitting Shoaib for a gigantic six in the latter’s very first over is still fresh in the fans’ minds.

Also, the conseuctive yorkers he bowled to castle Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are still touted as the best he bowled in his career. However, the competitive players on the field were always good friends off it. During the live Instagram session with the cricket presenter Zainab Abbas, the former Pakistan pacer revealed some of the insights during his heydays and also opened up on his relations with the Indian cricketers.

During the conversation, Shoaib Akhtar said that he went along well with the likes of Sachin, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly. However, he pointed out that Ganguly wasn’t able to play him well at all. Though Akhtar added that he enjoyed off the field with the trio and also used to have dinner with them after the match.

Sehwag is a dildaar aadmi, says Shoaib Akhtar

“Sachin Tendulkar is a very close friend of mine. He is a tremendous guy and very humble as well. Not many know this but Virender Sehwag is dildaar aadmi. Sourav Ganguly didn’t manage me well. He couldn’t play my bowling well. But we all used to go for dinner after the match,” Shoaib Akhtar said recalling the old days.

The 44-year-old has been in the news nowadays too for his recent comments. He had suggested organising an ODI series between India and Pakistan to raise funds for both the nations to fight against the Coronavirus. But the former cricketers from both the countries feel that this cannot happen.

The likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Zaheer Abbas voiced their opinion against the same while Shahid Afridi supported Shoaib praising him for thinking positive during these tough times.