Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar recently shared a few interesting stories from the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) while appearing on Sportskeeda’s Time Out. He revealed how Sourav Ganguly had come to his rescue when Kolkata Knight Riders head coach John Buchanan expressed concerns about his match fitness.
Akhtar explained how he had to miss several matches for the franchise, owing to a ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). However, the board later cleared him to play just before the 35th league match of the tournament.
The speedster described how John Buchanan had told captain Sourav Ganguly that he didn’t think Akhtar should be in the playing eleven because of fitness issues. The pacer claimed that Ganguly backed him by telling the coach that he has always been unfit but has still performed well.
Shoaib Akhtar said:
“I was serving a ban when I joined the KKR camp and hadn’t played matches. John Buchanan told Sourav Ganguly that he doesn’t think I am fit enough. To which Ganguly replied that he has always been unfit. Don’t worry about him. It will be okay even if he’s half unfit. ”
But the fact remains that Akhtar made a fabulous start to his IPL career. The right-armed player claimed four crucial wickets in his debut game against Delhi. He has been adjudged the Player of the Match for his exploits with the ball in the fixture.