Shoaib Akhtar reminisces about how he troubled Sachin Tendulkar during Faisalabad Test in 2006

Whenever we talk about on-field cricketing rivalries, the battle between Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar and former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar is one of the most catchy one.

Sachin Tendulkar, who is deemed as god of cricket, faced many world-class bowlers like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram, Mutthiah Muralitharan and many more. However, Master Blaster’s encounter with Akhtar always grabbed much attention as fans used to be on the edge of their seat when the two came face to face.

Recently in an interview, the former Pakistan speedster looked back on the rivalry and stated that he had alot of respect for Sachin. Talking in ESPNCricinfo with Sanjay Manjrekar, Shoaib Akhtar stated, “A couple of batsmen would never speak to me. Sachin would never lose his focus by talking to me.”

“People used to say that Sachin and I used to compete against each other, but we never abused each other. I used to respect him as a great batsman and I used to look at him as a great competitor,” he added.

Furthermore, Akhtar went on to remember the Faisalabad Test in 2006 in which he made it difficult for Sachin. Akhtar stated that he used to work out ways in which he can make it difficult for Sachin. In the match, which ended in a draw, Akhtar had taken Sachin’s wicket for 14 in the first innings.

“But I used to work him out. I used to know where Sachin was injured. In Faisalabad (2006) Test, I knew he had an elbow injury and I knew he couldn’t hook or pull the ball, so I kept bowling bouncers at him,” Akhtar said.

Akhtar further stated that people doesn’t forget Test spells between Sachin and Akhtar, and budding cricketers should also focus on playing Test cricket.“Nowadays, players are finding reasons to slow down to play longer, I don’t know why. People only remember Test matches spells. Now matter how many wickets you have taken in T20Is and I might have done wonders in ODIs, people will only remember the spells from the Test matches.

“There is a battle between me and Sachin in a Test match. Here you go, he’s gonna hit me for a six or I am going to get him clean-bowled. Whatever it is, I am going to come back with a lot of character... these are spells that people like to see,” he said.

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