‘He would play me easily’: Shoaib Akhtar names India batsman whom he found difficulties to bowl
Image : Collected
|| Desk Report ||
Shoaib Akhter was one of those fast bowlers the game has ever produced. With pace and accuracy, he used to trouble every batsman around the world.
While many batsmen felt trouble while facing him, he also had someone whom he feared to face rather had difficulties to face. And he is none other than Indian batting legend Rahul Dravid.
“If a batsman used to play, like Rahul Dravid, we would bowl him length balls. From close to the stump we would aim at the gap between bat and pad, try to hit the ball on the pad,” Shoaib Akhtar said in a chat with Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Akhtar again revealed an incident regarding the former India batsman where he and his former teammate Shahid Afridi thought of a plan to get the batsman out.
While Akhtar did not exactly mention the match but his description seems that he was talking about the final of the Pepsi Cup in the year 1999 where India and Pakistan reached the final and chasing a total of 292 to win, Ajay Jadeja-led Indian team had lost a few early wickets as well.
“There was a final match in Bangalore, I had dismissed Sadagoppan Ramesh early, we took 3-4 wickets early. Sachin Tendulkar was not playing. Shahid Afridi and I said Rahul Dravid will take a lot of time and it’s Friday night today. Afridi said bowl something and take his wicket else he will play for long,” Akhtar recalled.
“I hit him directly on the pad and urged the umpire to raise his fingers. I even said it’s our Friday night. He did not give the decision in our favour but we had won in the end. Dravid was a difficult and determined batsman. It was difficult for me as well as him. He would play against me easily,” he further shared.
