Former India opener Virender Sehwag and ex-Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar engaged in hilarious banter over Akhtar’s long run-up during his playing days. The two former cricketers are in Dubai as part of ILT20’s commentary team.
Akhtar posted a video of the two former players talking on social media platform ‘X’, saying Sehwag felt his long run-up was a big distraction.
“Hamaray pyaray Viru bhai @virendersehwag yeh batatay huay k mera lamba run up ko kitna intezar kerwata tha. And he feels it was a big distraction,” Akhtar posted on ‘X’.
During their conversation, Sehwag said “I would keep looking down, knowing that it would take 10-15 second for him to finish his run-up”.
Akhtar then asked Sehwag if his long run-up distracted him?
To which Sehwag replied by saying, “A lot of thoughts would run in mind. Will he hit my toes or a beamer on my head? He will hit somewhere.”
Sehwag enjoyed an illustrious international career with India. In Tests, he played 104 matches, scoring 8,586 runs at an average of 49.34. His ODI record is equally impressive, with 8,273 runs from 251 games and a strike rate of 104.33. Sehwag also featured in 19 T20Is, amassing 394 runs.
Notably, he’s one of the few to score double centuries in ODIs and triple centuries in Tests. Sehwag’s trophy cabinet includes the 2011 ODI World Cup, the 2007 T20 World Cup, and the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. His aggressive batting style set numerous records, including the fastest triple century in Test cricket.
Meanwhile, Akhtar, known as the “Rawalpindi Express,” was renowned for his blistering pace. In Tests, he played 46 matches with an average of 25.69, taking 178 wickets. His ODI career spanned 163 games, where he claimed 247 wickets at an average of 24.97. In T20Is, he featured in 15 matches, averaging 22.73 with 19 wickets.
Akhtar’s records include the fastest delivery in cricket history at 161.3 kmph and being the ninth-highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in Tests. He was also part of Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup winning squad.
