Fierce competitors on the field and good friends off it, Indian and Pakistani cricketers have shared interesting chemistry over the decades. The late 1990s and 2000s witnessed all-time greats from both the sides contesting each other more frequently. Sourav Ganguly and Shoaib Akhtar were two such fiercely competitive cricketers representing India and Pakistan respectively.
Ganguly, now the BCCI President, wasn’t known to be a great player of short-pitched bowling, a weakness the world-class Pakistani pacers gleefully tried to cash-in. They often used it for their success. But on certain days, Ganguly would have the last laugh.
In 1999, in Mohali, Ganguly was floored by a delivery from Shoaib that was pitched short and darted in, targeting the southpaw’s ribs.
Less than a year later, Ganguly would go on to stroke a fantastic ODI hundred in Adelaide, against a bowling attack that comprised of Shoaib and even Wasim Akram. It was only the second ODI hundred scored by an Indian on Australian soil. Even the first on the list is Ganguly. Such was the see-saw battle between India and Pakistan with top players reserving their A games for each other.
Dismissing the notions that Ganguly wasn’t comfortable against pace bowling, earlier this year, Shoaib said, “People used to say that he was scared to face fast bowling, he was afraid to face me. I think all of that was rubbish. Sourav Ganguly was the bravest batsman, the only opener who could face me with the new ball.
“He knew, he didn’t have the shots, I also targeted him by bowling at his chest but he never backed away, and still scored runs that are what I call bravery.”
In the same interview with Helo App, Shoaib also went on to say that India haven’t produced a better captain than Ganguly.
In Pakistani bowling attacks comprising Shoaib, Ganguly has decent numbers to boast of. He averages 65.72 and 32.12 in Tests and ODIs respectively. Shoaib dismissed him eight times in international cricket. They fought several contests from 1999 till 2007.
In the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, Ganguly, the then captain and icon player of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) got Shoaib to play for the franchise. Shoaib openly wrote in his autobiography, Controversially Yours about how Ganguly was keen on having him play in the team. He also praised Ganguly in his book, writing, “An important thing that happened to Indian cricket was the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. I think he was a superb captain, a giant of a man in a slight body. One of his greatest gifts to his side was the very brave decision to bring in youngsters, and he backed them as well. This has changed the face of their team. Dhoni has benefited greatly from taking over Ganguly’s team. He is a very smart man, an intelligent captain, and on the field, he is calm and collected and means business. He knows how to lead, and the Indian team were deserving winners of the 2011 World Cup”.
Continuing his admiration for the former Indian captain, on Monday, the Rawalpindi Express shared a throwback picture of the BCCI President on Instagram and captioned, “I welcomed any opposition, because I was determined to see the battle through.
One of my toughest opposition was the man himself @souravganguly. Not only a tough opposition but a great captain having played under his leadership for @kkriders.”
The standoff between India and Pakistan have only gone ugly in recent years. The post from Shoaib was well received by fans across the border. There’s still a hope that the nations will one day share tighter relations like their cricketers do.