'Galti ho gayi… I'm sorry': Wasim Akram's blunt take on seeing Rohit Sharma drop Axar Patel's hat-trick

Wasim Akram knows what it feels like to have a catch dropped on a hat-trick ball.

Wasim Akram recalled an instance when his former captain put down a catch to deny the legendary pacer a hat-trick, similar to how Rohit Sharma messed up the chance off Axar Patel's bowling during the India vs Bangladesh Champions Trophy match in Dubai on Thursday. Axar was on the verge of history – no Indian bowler had picked up a hat-trick at the Champions Trophy – having dismissed opener Tanzid Hassan and wicketkeeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim off back-to-back deliveries to be on a hat-trick. Axar bowled the perfect third ball in a row, taking the edge of Jaker Ali's bat as he pressed for a forward defence. The stage was set for Axar to have his moment under the sun, but captain Rohit, at first slip, put down the simplest of catches.

Wasim Akram (L) is aware of that feeling which Axar Patel went through after Rohit Sharma (R) dropped the catch (Getty/X)

Rohit immediately slapped the ground repeatedly in frustration, apologised to his bowler and even promised him dinner at the end of the match. But none of that flattery promises to compensate for a missed hat-trick. Watching Rohit drop the catch took Akram back when he was in Axar's position years ago. Back then, too, it was his captain, Imran Khan, who let the ball slip through his fingers.

"When my hat-trick was dropped, I ended up apologising to my captain. Galti ho gayi, I'm sorry. Axar may not feel it right away because the team won the match and all but. He will move on very quickly. He will realise it after 2-3 years when he's alone sleeping in a room. He'll think I could have claimed my hat-trick. It's very rare for a captain to drop a catch to miss hat-trick, but the worst feeling must be Rohit's," he said on the DP World Dressing Room show in the presence of Waqar Younis, Cheteshwar Pujara and Nikhil Chopra.

That Shane Warne drop off Damien Fleming

Akram didn't rue it much though as he ended up picking four hat-tricks in international cricket during his unparalleled career.

Akram and Axar aren't the only players whose teammate denied them a hat-trick. During the first Test match against India at the Adelaide Oval. Fleming had dismissed Sourav Ganguly and Ajit Agarkar off successive deliveries, but Shane Warme couldn't latch on to the ball, flying off the thick edge of Javagal Srinath's bat. Fleming was quick to console Warne, patting him on the back at the end of the over.