Fans always enjoy reading the social media exchanges between Virender Sehwag and Shoaib Akhtar. They frequently end up trolling each other on Twitter, but Sehwag claims it’s because the two get along so well and Akhtar is his closest friend among Pakistan cricketers.
Sehwag shared an anecdote from his playing days in which Akhtar was left fearing for his career after an incident with batting legend Sachin Tendulkar during a function. “We were at a function. Shoaib tried lifting Tendulkar who wasn’t lightweight. However, his attempt resulted in both Shoaib and Tendulkar taking a tumble. His (Akhtar’s) expression changed. I warned him how BCCI will now complain with the PCB about this incident involving their top player and you will be thrown out of the team. Your career is finished,” Sehwag told Ranveer Allahbadia on his YouTube channel TheRanveerShowHindi.
Sehwag continued, “He requested Sachin to keep the incident to himself and not complain while apologising. Even today whenever Sachin paaji and I meet, we recall that incident.”
Here is Virender Sehwag’s video
Sehwag also explained why he makes fun of Akhtar on Twitter. “See we are friends. We have the right to be able to do so, it’s fun. It also helps in getting business. I often tell about my equation with Akhtar so it helps in us working together (commentary, chat shows etc). A documentary is being made on India-Pakistan and I recommended that Akhtar must be a part of it because we have a good bond and people are going to like what we’ll talk about,” Sehwag said.
He also claimed that Akhtar, one of the game’s fiercest fast bowlers, is quite funny off-camera. “Something happens to him when on camera. He’s different off-camera. He jokes around quite a lot. But on camera, he’s a different character,” Sehwag said.
