New Delhi. Even though the teams of India and Pakistan are fierce rivals on the field, their players have a lot of rivalry with each other outside the field. Many legends like Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi have revealed that there used to be a lot of sledging and bickering between the players of both the teams on the field, but after the game was over, we would often eat together and have fun together in the evening. Former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly also became special friends of some cricketers in Pakistan during his international career, among whom Wasim Akram, Inzamam Ul Haq and Shoaib Akhtar were prominent.
According to Sourav, during the 2004 India-Pakistan cricket series, he once saw veteran fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar practicing bowling alone at 11 pm before the Rawalpindi ODI match. He has mentioned this incident, his friendship with Pakistani cricketers of his time and other things in his book ‘One Century is Not Enough’.
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Ganguly liked Shoaib’s self-confidence
Saurav wrote in the book, ‘While playing with Pakistan for so long, I made many friends across the border. Wasim, Waqar, Eng and Shoaib Akhtar. My first encounter with Shoaib was at Eden Gardens where he shook the Indian middle order by dismissing Sachin and Dravid on one ball after another. However, our proper introduction happened a few months later when we were on a tour of Australia and we met her in the lobby of a hotel in Hobart. I had heard that he had written to the Pakistan Cricket Board demanding salary equal to that of senior players. When we talked, I was confused about this new bowler who had joined the team as he had played only four-five tests and was comparing himself with Wasim and Waqar who together had taken more than 700 international wickets till then. Had finished. But I liked his confidence. If he had handled himself properly, he could have taken at least 100 more Test wickets.
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I had said in the press conference, ‘Rawalpindi Express will be derailed’
Saurav further writes, ‘No conversation about Shoaib can be complete without discussing his tone of voice. I don’t know how and when he learned to speak English with a Pakistani-British accent. Many times I could not understand what he was saying. The former Indian captain wrote, ‘I remember very well an incident from the 2004 series. Before the Rawalpindi ODI, I saw him (Shoaib) bowling alone at 11 pm. There was no one on the entire field. He bowled for about 45 minutes. This sight was astonishing. Before that, Shoaib had given away 55 runs in his 10 overs in the ODI in Karachi. I still don’t know what he was trying to do that night? He was giving a message to his team or trying to give a message to us. In my first press conference I had said that we will derail the Rawalpindi Express. I felt that perhaps this had put Shoaib under pressure. ,
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‘Wasim Akram was the shopping mall of fast bowling’
Regarding left arm fast bowler Wasim Akram, Sourav wrote in the book, ‘Another Pakistani player of whom I was a big fan was Akram. I was also keen to bring him as the bowling coach of the Indian team. I have never seen a more charismatic player than him on the cricket field. People say that he was the Sultan of Swing but I have a different opinion. For me he was the ‘shopping mall’ of fast bowling. Whatever you need, you will get it with them. My efforts to bring him as the bowling coach of the Indian team were not successful. This may have happened because of the uneasy relations between India and Pakistan, but whenever we needed any advice for our fast bowlers, he (Akram) was just a call away. Once during the Champions Trophy, I went to Wasim Akram with Zaheer Khan. I had also taken advice from Wasim for Irfan Pathan who was going to play his first test in Adelaide, Australia. Ultimately, somehow I was successful in bringing him as a bowling consultant to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). ,
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‘Enji is not only a great player but also a very sweet person’
Praising Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sourav called him not only a great player but also a very sweet person. He wrote, ‘I was also lucky in the sense that I knew their captain (during the India-Pakistan series) well. Looking back, I realize that we were very lucky that Eng was leading Pakistan in 2004 because both the teams played with good sportsmanship even in a very tense environment.
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Very important advice was received from Zaheer Abbas
Sourav has written in the book, ‘The Pakistani cricketer to whom I am most grateful was Zaheer Abbas. During my comeback in 2006, I was confused about my grip and stance. I was not even getting much time to play the fast bowlers. While playing for Northamptonshire in the English county, I got a chance to meet Zaheer Abbas. He has a deep understanding of cricket. He advised me to play a little further. He told me to play from the front and not to the sides while playing fast bowlers. My grip also changed immediately. It was difficult to adjust to the new stance but as time passed, I became comfortable and started playing fast bowling with ease. After this, the golden phase of my career started and when this happened, I thanked Z Bhai (nickname of Zaheer Abbas).
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Tags: IND vs PAK, India Vs Pakistan, inzamam ul haq, Shoaib Akhtar, Sourav Ganguly, Team india, Wasim Akram
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 17, 2024, 09:38 IST