WATCH | Shoaib Akhtar Makes Controversial Admission; Claims Taking 'Pills, Injections' During India-Pakistan Face-Off's

IND vs PAK: Who can forget the 1999 Kolkata Test between India and Pakistan when a young Shoaib Akhtar, still very unknown in the circuit, ran in with a long run-up and clean bowled stalwarts Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in consecutive deliveries to silence a packed house at the Eden Gardens? With those two near-perfect yorkers, Akhtar instantly became a global star. 

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Akhtar then went on to terrorise batters with his pace and became one of the most-feared pacers ever in the history of the game. Years after his retirement, Akhtar got carried away and made a shocking revelation. The former pacer confessed he took pills and injections during matches against India to reduce the pain his body was enduring due to all the effort he was putting into each of his deliveries. 

‘Used to take pills and injections’

"When Saqlain got over 10 wickets - in Chennai and in Delhi too - Saqlain and I used to bet about Sachin's wickets. He said he would get Sachin out. I said I would get him - that's what I had been doing. I said, 'No, I'll do it this time, it's my turn,'" said Akhtar during a Pakistani cricket show.

"My knees were swollen as the area was filled with fluid. His knees had gone in 1996, and mine gave way in 1997 in front of him. And now both of us secretly used to take pills and injections just to be able to play the match. Had any senior known this, they would have thrown out Saqlain. I was anyway on their target."

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Tendulkar vs Akhtar

Tendulkar and Akhtar have had many memorable showdowns during their prime. It was a rivalry that dominated a generation. Not many from that generation would forget how Tendulkar took a liking to Akhtar during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Tendulkar scored 416 runs at an average of 41.60 across formats vs Akhtar. The former Pakistan pacer dismissed Tendulkar on seven occasions.