Yuvraj says he was 'terrified' of facing Shoaib Akhtar

Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar and India's Yuvraj Singh share a light moment during a training session at the Mohali Cricket Stadium.

New Delhi - The Chandigarh-born cricketer, whose on-field exploits defined India's last two World Cup triumphs, has played 304 ODIs, 58 T20Is and 40 Tests.

By ANI

Published: Tue 11 Jun 2019, 8:30 PM

Last updated: Tue 11 Jun 2019, 10:45 PM

Cricket matches between India and Pakistan have always been nail-biting, owing to the age-old rivalry between the two teams. However, the camaraderie of players from both countries is something that cannot be missed.
Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who retired from all forms of cricket on Monday, took to Twitter to reveal that he was "terrified" whenever Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar bowled.
Soon after Yuvraj announced his retirement, Akhtar created a video to bid adieu to the left-hander.
"Yuvraj is a rockstar, a match winner and a very good friend. When I saw him in 2003 in the World Cup match at Centurion, he played a very good knock and I always found him as an elegant batsman. He's a Punjabi and speaks our language," Akhtar had said on Monday.
"I remember that he used to play very fluently. Yuvi always knew a lot about cricket. Yuvraj has done wonders for his nation. He was an integral part of India's 2011 World Cup triumph and his six 6's against Stuart Broad will always be remembered. He is very patriotic and he will always remain the biggest match-winner. I wish him all the very best for his future," he added.
In response to the heartwarming video, Yuvraj tweeted, "Thanks payan for ur lovely wishes. Trust me Every time u ran into bowl at me it was terrifying! Had to gather a lot of courage to face u. We had some great battles will always cherish those moments @shoaib100mph."
The Chandigarh-born cricketer, whose on-field exploits defined India's last two World Cup triumphs, has played 304 ODIs, 58 T20Is and 40 Tests. He managed to imprint his place in the echelons of cricket as a player who could pretty much win matches for his side either through his electric fielding, deceiving bowling or fierce batting.
Yuvi, as he is fondly called, is renowned for hitting six sixes in an over of Stuart Broad in the ICC T20 World Cup2007 and he was awarded the Player of the Tournament in India's 2011 50-over World Cup triumph.