Former India opener Gautam Gambhir is known for not shying away from competitions with opponents. Rather, he enjoyed the on-field competition with some of the best bowlers of his time throughout his international career. Recently, Gambhir revealed the name of one Pakistani bowler he liked competing against.

India and Pakistan have produced some of the nerve-wracking encounters over the years. Known as a fierce competitor on the pitch, Gambhir shared heated moments, especially with Shahid Afridi. He has always been at loggerhead with Afridi, now in the social media.

Enjoyed competing with Saeed Ajmal – Gautam Gambhir

Recently, Gautam Gambhir picked one Pakistani cricketer he liked against the most. The former opener named Saeed Ajmal and said it was very difficult to pick him. Gambhir also termed him the toughest off-spinner he ever faced in his international career.

“One battle which I thoroughly enjoyed was against Saeed Ajmal. Because Ajmal was probably one of the toughest off-spinners I have faced, especially under lights as we couldn’t pick his Doosra. And the speed with which he used to bowl at, he was very very lethal,” Gambhir said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

When asked to pick one cricketer with whom he enjoyed verbal duels with, Gautam Gambhir indirectly picked former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi. Both of them go a long way and have gone hard at each other many times.

“The world knows about that. I absolutely loved it and even now,” Gambhir said about his rivalry with Afridi without naming him.

Meanwhile, recently Gautam Gambhir wished Shahid Afridi a speedy recovery after the cricketer tested positive for COVID-19. While media houses reported that Afridi was in a critical condition, the cricketer revealed that he is improving.

Gambhir represented India in 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is for India, amassing 4154, 5238 and 932 runs in the three formats respectively. He also played a significant role in the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup.