Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin on Tuesday said the best and the toughest bowler he faced throughout his cricketing career was Pakistani left-arm swing legend, Wasim Akram.
“Wasim Akram was the best bowler because he had a lot of variety,” said Azharuddin while speaking to Hindustan Times. “Even when you were batting on 100 or 150, you’re not very sure; he could still get you out. That was his forte. That was the best thing about Wasim Akram. He is probably the toughest bowler I have faced,” he said.
The 53-year-old added that West Indian quickie Courtney Walsh was also one the best bowlers and was very difficult to read.
“I found Courtney Walsh very difficult to read; he was the hardest bowler to read,” said Azharuddin.
Azharuddin’s comment comes a few days after Indian batting star Virat Kohli revealed that he would have feared batting against Wasim if he played against him.
“The bowler I most fear, or I would have feared if I had played [against him] would be Wasim Akram; fast and skillful,” Kohli answered a quick-fire question while giving an interview to CNN.
Further, during the interview, Kohli revealed that Pakistani and Indian players have a lot of mutual respect and admiration between them.
When asked if it makes a difference when he goes out to play against Pakistan, Kohli said: “Now, no. But initially, that used to be a massive change in my mindset. When I came to play for the Indian team, in my head, I saw those games as a fan.”
He added: “I didn’t know what goes on in the changing room, how those players interact with each other, whether they talk or whether they don’t want to talk, whether they are aggressive on the field; I didn’t know anything.”
Responding to a question on what it is like in the dressing rooms of Pakistan and India, Kohli revealed: “It is absolutely normal. You see the India and Pakistan players talk to each other, you can just keep laughing.”
He further said: “Somewhere you feel that yes they understand what we are saying and we understand what they are saying. So, there is that mutual respect and there is mutual admiration between the two teams.”
