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'No disrespect to India but...': PAK batter issues outrageous remark against Rohit Sharma's men, namedrops Shoaib Akhtar
Namedropping legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar, the Pakistan batter issued an outrageous statement against Rohit Sharma's Team India after the WTC final.
Even though Team India has a formidable bowling attack that features some of the finest bowlers in competitive cricket across formats, Pakistani cricketer Ahmed Shehzad is convinced that Rohit Sharma and Co. don't have a bowler who has the potential to unnerve premier batters. An injury-plagued Indian side recently contested the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) against Pat Cummins’ Australia at The Oval earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Babar Azam's Pakistan side finished seventh in the previous edition of the WTC. Babar and Co. only managed to eclipse the likes of the West Indies and minnows Bangladesh on the WTC points table last season. Pakistan's arch-rivals Team India enjoyed domestic and overseas success in the same cycle as Rohit's men secured the second spot in the WTC standings to feature in their second-straight final of the ICC event.
'There hasn't been any threatening bowler from India'
Speaking to Nadir Ali on his podcast, Pakistan batter Shehzad claimed that Team India doesn't have a potent bowler in their squad. “No disrespect to them. But there hasn't been any threatening bowler from India that the opposition batter is scared to play him. They have good bowlers like Bumrah, Jadeja and Ashwin, but there has not been a dangerous bowler as such. Their batters are dangerous,” said Shehzad, who played 13 Tests for Pakistan from 2013 to 2017.
'Akhtar had 2 great qualities'
While making a bold claim against the Men In Blue, the Pakistani batter recalled the bowling exploits of legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar. Known for his menacing pace and deadly bouncers, Akhtar aka Rawalpindi Express used to terrorise world-class batters during his prime. "I can't recollect any other bowler apart from Shoaib Akhtar. When I was new to the team, he was already The Shoaib Akhtar. He had 2 great qualities. First, he never bowled no-balls in the nets. Second, he never bowled unnecessary bouncers to the batters in the nets. He knew the batter would get hurt,” Shehzad added.
