Confronted Sehwag; go ask Gambhir too: Shoaib Akhtar denies sledging episode narrated by India opener in India vs Pakistan Test
Stating that nothing of that sorts happened during an India vs Pakistan match, Akhtar also revealed that he had confronted Sehwag about his sledging remarks during the 2011 World Cup in the presence of his opening partner Gautam Gambhir.
Reacting for the first time on the sledging episode during an India-Pakistan Test made famous by Virender Sehwag, former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar said ‘nothing like that happened’ as narrated by the former India opener.
Sehwag had once told Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan that Akhtar tried to sledge him during a match against Pakistan when he was batting close to 200 with Tendulkar at the other end.
“I was batting around 200. Shoaib was probably tired after bowling for so long. He came around the wicket and started to bowl plenty of bouncers and taunted me to hit a hook shot. Realising he will continue to do the same thing, I asked him to bowl a bouncer at Sachin Tendulkar, who was at non-striker’s end.
Also Read | Bat & shut up, you sound like a child: Williams recalls banter with Kohli
“In the next over when he bowled a bouncer to Sachin, he hooked it for a six,” Sehwag had said.
Stating that nothing of that sorts happened in the match, Akhtar also revealed that he had confronted Sehwag about his sledging remarks during the 2011 World Cup in the presence of his opening partner Gautam Gambhir.
“Nothing like that happened,” Akhtar told Vimal Kumar in an interview in Helo app.
“Do you think I would let someone go if he says anything like that to me? We were sitting in Bangladesh during the 2011 World Cup. Gautam Gambhir was also there, go and ask him too. I held Sehwag and asked him, ‘did you say something like this on TV?’ He said no, he backtracked from his remarks. Gautam Gambhir was sitting alongside him. I told Sehwag ‘If I come to know that you have said something like this then I won’t spare you. You know I can be bitter at times’,” added Akhtar.
Also Read | Cook picks 5 best batsmen, names India batter who can match Lara
Though Sehwag did not exactly mention which particular match he was talking about but his indications hinted towards Multan Test in 2004. Shewag became the first Indian to slam a triple ton and Tendulkar scored unbeaten 194.
The other two occasions - 201 in Bengaluru 2005, 254 in Lahore 2006 - when Sehwag was scored a double hundred against Pakistan like mentioned in that TV programme by the opener himself, either Akhtar wasn’t playing or Tendulkar did not bat.
During the 201-run innings in the Bengaluru Test, Shoaib Akhtar wasn’t a part of Pakistan’s XI and a year later when he smashed 254, Sachin did not bat as Sehwag and Dravid had put on a record opening stand in that rain-affected match.
Interestingly, even in that Multan Test, Sachin’s innings did not have any hits over the rope, which contradicts Sehwag’s narration.