There are numerous interesting stories and episodes between Sachin Tendulkar and Shoaib Akhtar. One of the highlights of the India-Pakistan rivalry, Shoaib and Sachin shared various moments when they were at their peak.
In a recent interview, Shoaib Akhtar recalled how Sachin once told him that Akhtar's delivery had broken Sachin's ribs. Such was the impact of the delivery, that the Master Blaster couldn't breathe properly, however, he showed excellent grit and determination to continue playing instead of going out retired hurt.
The incident happened during Pakistan's tour of India in 2007 when the two nations played out a seven-match ODI series.
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Recalling the incident in a video shared by sports presenter Shonali Nagrani on Instagram, Shoaib stated, "It always feels good sharing stories. Like I and Sachin… Sachin is a very good cook. He once told me I want to cook something for you so you come over sometime. So I went to his million dollar home and we ate and we then shared stories. He told me 'In Guwahati, one of your deliveries hit me and it broke my ribs'."
Akhtar, renowned by the moniker of 'The Rawalpindi Express' further revealed that Sachin told him he couldn't breathe properly after the blow and tried to continue nonetheless.
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"Sachin then said 'I didn’t tell it to anybody. Sourav kept telling me… 'Sachin keep at it. Do not move. But I couldn’t say anything because I could not breathe.' He (Sachin) told me he spent the night in the hospital. When I asked him why he didn’t tell me, he said 'if I were to tell you, wouldn’t I have received a few more lethal balls from you'," stated Akhtar.
The incident further goes to highlight how despite the rivalry Sachin and Shoaib shared, they still had a great bonding off the field. Indeed some fascinating incidents those India-Pakistan matches produced.
