Dubai: Indian MP Shashi Tharoor meets Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar at airport; photo goes viral

Netizens pointed out how the two could pass as 'brothers' because of their similar hairstyles

Trends Desk

Published: Tue 27 Jun 2023, 1:22 PM

Indian Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor met Pakistan cricket star Shoaib Akhtar at the Dubai airport on Monday. Tharoor said that he was “pleasantly surprised when Shoaib Akhtar said hello.”

Shashi Tharoor was returning to New Delhi, India, after attending the Bradford Literature Festival in England.

Advertising

Sharing a selfie with the legendary Pakistani pacer on Twitter, Shashi Tharoor wrote, “On my way back to Delhi via Dubai, I was pleasantly surprised when Shoaib Akhtar said hello. What a smart and engaging young man the tearaway fast bowler is!”

The Indian politician added that Shoaib Akhtar has “plenty of fans on our side of the border” and that all the Indians who greeted him also wanted a picture with the pacer. Tharoor added that they had a “good conversation about (inevitably) India, Pakistan and cricket”.

Shashi Tharoor’s post also drew a response from Shoaib Akhtar who tweeted, “What a pleasure running into you Shashi [Tharoor] ji”.

The post has clocked more than 468k views on social media. People have also reacted to the picture-perfect moment. Some pointed out that Shashi Tharoor and Shoaib Akhtar were “sporting almost the same hairstyle.”

A user wrote, “You both can pass off as brothers with the hairstyle, looks and all.”

Referring to Shoaib Akhtar’s nickname, a person said, “Rawalpindi express. What a bowler he was..”

“One of the most exciting and charismatic fast bowlers in the history of cricket,” a comment read.

A few were glad to see “two extremely popular persons of India and Pakistan of different fields in one frame in Dubai”.

Shashi Tharoor was in England to attend the Bradford Literature Festival, which was held from June 26 to July 2. In a tweet, the politician wrote, “It’s a delight to be part of the Bradford Literature Festival, even if my own participation was for just one day. The atmosphere of camaraderie & genuine respect for ideas and writers makes it a real pleasure — & the strong subcontinental ethos is the tadka (tempering)!”

ALSO READ: