Shoaib Akhtar toughest bowler I faced, admits Dhoni

Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has revealed that former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar was the toughest bowler he had ever faced in his illustrious career.

When asked to name the one bowler he struggled the most during his career, the 35-year-old picked the Rawalpindi Express.

"All the fast bowlers are quite difficult, with the limited technique I had, it was very difficult to face the fast bowlers. Still, if I had to pick one, I would pick Shoaib Akhtar," the Dawn quoted Dhoni, as saying.

Known for his hard-hitting batting style, Dhoni has faced the likes of Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Lasith Malinga, Dale Steyn - who dominated the cricket arena for years.

Meanwhile, Dhoni and Akhtar had met just 10 times in international cricket-in five Test and five ODIs. And despite limited contests against each other, the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman insisted that Akhtar was the one who made him sweat the most during his 13-year career.

"Very simple reason: he was quick, he was fast, he could bowl a yorker, he could bowl a bouncer but you never expected a beamer. He was a bit unpredictable [but] he was fun to play against," Dhoni said at a charity dinner hosted by current India captain Virat Kohli this week.

The Indian national team are currently in England for the ongoing Champions Trophy one-day international tournament. They will next face top-ranked South Africa in a must-win final encounter on June 11.

-ANI