Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has revealed a hilarious story that dates back to 14 years when he travelled to India for the inaugural edition of the IPL. The Rawalpindi Express had to face the wrath of the fans for dismissing the Indian batters on a couple of occasions.
Akhtar recently recalled one such incident from IPL 2008 when he was representing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). During a game against Mumbai Indians, Shoaib Akhtar got their captain Sachin Tendulkar in the very first over.
The 46-year-old former cricketer recently revealed how KKR captain Sourav Ganguly had to change his field placements as the speedster was getting a lot of stick from the Mumbai crowd. Speaking to Sportskeeda, Akhtar said:
“It was a beautiful ground and a fantastic atmosphere. Stadium was fully packed. But I dismissed Sachin Tendulkar in the first over itself and that was a huge mistake. Then I got a lot of abuses when I was at fine leg. Sourav Ganguly told me, ‘Come to mid-wicket, these people will kill you. Who told you to dismiss Sachin? That too in Mumbai?'”
I was happy because at Wankhede no one abused my country – Shoaib Akhtar
Akhtar, who currently works as a cricket expert, revealed that the Wankhede crowd gave him immense love and support that has stayed with him till now.
“I worked a lot in Mumbai and got lots of love. I was happy because at Wankhede no one abused my country, no one passed any racist comments. The crowd at Wankhede was very passionate. I wish I played more games there,” he concluded.
Shoaib Akhtar featured in only three games for KKR in IPL 2008, picking up five wickets including a four-wicket haul against Delhi Daredevils.
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