Shoaib Akhtar turns 45: Virat Kohli reveals how Rawalpindi Express scared him as youngster

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar celebrated his 45th birthday on Thursday. The right-arm pacer was one of the quickest bowlers of his time, who gave nightmares to batsmen from all over the world. Shoaib Akhtar was simply unplayable when he got going. With his lethal pace and swing, he wreaked havoc during his peak.

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Shoaib Akhtar birthday: Virat Kohli terms 'Rawalpindi Express' as the most dangerous bowler

In fact, India skipper Virat Kohli, who is arguably the best player in modern-day cricket, had also revealed how he was scared of Shoaib Akhtar as a youngster. The right-handed batsman has dominated bowlers from all over the world but he knew how lethal Shoaib Akhtar was during his prime. Virat Kohli spoke about the same during a talk show in 2017.

While speaking on an Indian talk show Breakfast with Champions, Virat Kohli had admitted that the one bowler who was the most dangerous according to him and could never face in his career, fortunately, was Shoaib Akhtar himself, having first been his opponent in an Asia Cup match in Dambulla in 2010. Virat Kohli had also credited Akhtar for maintaining his pace and stamina despite going past his prime due to an ageing and injured body during that period.

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Shoaib Akhtar made his Test debut against West Indies in 1997 and ODI debut in 1998 against Zimbabwe. The 'Rawalpindi Express' terrified batsmen from all across the world with his raw pace and sharp bouncers. Shoaib Akhtar is also known to have bowled the fastest ball in world cricket. The Shoaib Akhtar fastest ball was clocked at 161.3 km/h (100.2mph). The Shoaib Akhtar wickets in limited-over formats include 247 ODI and 19 T20I scalps. Shoaib Akhtar also took 178 Test wickets.

Shoaib Akhtar reveals how he had deliberately bowled a beamer to MS Dhoni in 2006

Shoaib Akhtar revealed he had purposely bowled a beamer to MS Dhoni during the second Test match at Faisalabad in January 2006.  While interacting with former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra on his official YouTube channel, Shoaib went on to say that he had purposely bowled a beamer to MS Dhoni and then apologised to him. Recalling that incident, the pace icon also said that he had bowled an 8-9 over spell and the wicket-keeper batsman had also scored a century in that contest. 

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The 'Rawalpindi Express' then mentioned it was the first time in his life that he had bowled a beamer purposely and regrets having done so. Lauding MSD's knock, the former speedster added that he was playing so well and the wickets were so slow and no matter how fast he bowled Mahi kept on hitting him which got him frustrated. MS Dhoni's grit and determination eventually paid off as he and Irfan Pathan were successfully able to get through Shoaib Akhtar's fiery spell and the contest ended in a draw.

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IMAGE COURTESY: PTI