Sachin played me best, all others were scared: Shoaib Akhtar's bold claim about India-Pakistan 1999 WC clash
Shoaib Akhtar claimed all Indian batters except Tendulkar were scared of facing him.
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar believes the huge hype surrounding clashes between India and Pakistan made it difficult for the Men in Green to come out on top against their arch-rivals in World Cup matches. Akhtar recently spoke about the fierce rivalry between India and Pakistan while also explaining why the Men in Green have failed to impress against India in the World Cup.
India enjoya dominant 12-1 record against Pakistan when it comes to World Cup matches having lost just once against them in ODI and T20 World Cups so far. India's first and only loss against Pakistan came during T20 World Cup 2021 when Babar Azam & Co. ended their losing streak.
Akhtar, who featured against India in as many as four World Cups, revealed Pakistan used to play against India under massive pressure in World Cup matches. The former fast bowlersaid the media was partially responsible for the hype as most players used to watch TV and would give in to the unnecessary hype.
“We, as (the) Pakistan team, used to play against India, why don’t you just play it as a normal match? We had come (into the 1999 World Cup) beating India in ODIs as well as Tests in their backyard. (It was) just the added pressure of the World Cup as well as the huge hype," Akhtar said on Star Sports.
“Pakistan team used to get pressurized by that hype. This hype was created by TV (media) and we all used to watch TV," he added.
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Akhtar, who is one of the quickest bowlers to have graced the game, also went on to make a bold claim. The Rawalpindi Express said all Indian batters were scared of his pace during the 1999 World Cup clash between the two teams barring Sachin Tendulkar, who played him the best.
“This Pakistan team used to get to the ground against India with unnecessary pressure. We even choked in the 2003 World Cup. But Sachin played me the best during the 1999 World Cup. All the other batters were scared of me at that time. Many batters of the world used to stop moving their feet against me," Akhtar said.
Also Read:'You too can fight': Shoaib Akhtar recalls his heated on-field clash with India legend Rahul Dravid
Akhtar shared a fierce rivalry with Tendulkar and the duo enjoyed several memorable duels between them. While Akhtar managed to get the better of Tendulkar on a few occasions, Tendulkar dominated the former Pakistan pacer in major ICC events and scored runs profusely against him.