India and Pakistan may no longer play bilateral series due to diplomatic reasons but the unending chronicles of their on-field rivalry continue to entertain the cricket fans. Both nations have produced some finest of the players over the years and whenever they locked horns on the field, the encounters have always been electrifying. It is just another game of cricket for the players but for the fans, it’s a matter of pride and their emotions also get involved.
It’s been more than a decade since India and Pakistan played a bilateral series but the former cricketers keep on coming up with anecdotes on talk shows. Recently, former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq shared his experience of bowling to Indian batters and revealed the toughest ones he had faced during his playing days.
Speaking on the Nadir Ali podcast, Saqlain said the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were the toughest to bowl to. Though the legendary off-spinner got him out on several occasions, the wickets never came easy to him.
“Sachin and Dravid. I have gotten them both out but you have a play a long game. There is a difference between catching a rat and catching a tiger. These batters, you can’t catch them like rat. I had to think for hours about how to fox them, trap them and get them out. Sometimes I bowled 20 overs, and even then, I couldn’t. So, it’s not easy. In order to get the better of world-class batters, you have to broaden your thinking, show patience, and keep trying,” added Saqlain.
While the likes of Sachin, Dravid, Azharuddin and Ganguly had given some tough time to Saqlain, the off-spinner claims that he had threatened former India batter Ajay Jadeja almost on every occasion they faced each other.
“There was a time when Ajay Jadeja’s face used to go pale upon seeing me bowl. I’m sure he never lasted one full over against me. He always got out and even told me. But all the other players – Sachin, Azharuddin, Ganguly, Dravid were dangerous batters. Very difficult,” Saqlain said in the podcast.
Saqlain had dismissed Jadeja six times in ODI cricket. Back in 1997, the Pakistan spinner cleaned up the Indian batter thrice in an ODI series, making Jadeja his bunny.
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