Shoaib Akhtar, Inzamam-ul-Haq still remain my 'friends': Aakash Chopra

Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra opens up about his friendships with some of the Pakistani cricketers. Chopra recently interacted with Pakistani broadcaster Sawera Pasha on her YouTube show Cricast. In the video, the popular commentator can be seen recollecting memories of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2008) and India’s tour of Pakistan in 2004.

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Aakash Chopra talks about working with Shoaib Akhtar

When asked about the camaraderie between rivalling cricketing nations like India and Pakistan, Aakash Chopra said that he is actually “really good friends” with former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar. He said that he has a great bond with Akhtar because they shared really good time together while they were working for the official broadcasters of Indian cricket. Aakash Chopra also spoke about the inaugural IPL season where he was teammates with Shoaib Akhtar along with Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Gul through the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). According to the 42-year-old, the Indians and Pakistani cricketers did not felt any kind of “tension” during their KKR stint together.

Aakash Chopra also said that he still speaks with Shoaib Akhtar on call 'for hours'. He revealed that whenever he is on call for a while, even his wife now knows that he is just having a long chat with the former Pakistani speedster.

Aakash Chopra talks about Shoaib Akhtar and Inzamam-ul-Haq, watch video

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Aakash Chopra further recalled memories of India’s historic tour of Pakistan in 2004, where the Sourav Ganguly-led side won both, the Test and the ODI series. Chopra, who was India’s Test opener at the time, revealed that the entire Indian team were gifted t-shirts by the then Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq as a gesture of goodwill. Inzamam did so from his own factory, as per Chopra. He said that even during the entire 2004 tour, there were no issues between the players of the two teams as much as the on-field rivalry was extremely intense.

Sachin Tendulkar talks about Inzamam-ul-Haq

Interestingly, Aakash Chopra is not the only one to praise Inzamam-ul-Haq. Former Indian captain and batting icon Sachin Tendulkar also once spoke the legendary Pakistani batsman in high regards. In June 2018, the 200-Test veteran, along with his ex-teammate Virender Sehwag, appeared in an episode of Viu India’s What The Duck. During the interaction, Sachin Tendulkar spoke about the time when Inzamam-ul-Haq brought his son to meet him during India’s practise session in Lahore. According to the ‘Master Blaster’, the then Pakistan captain’s son wanted to meet him because he was his fan.

Sachin Tendulkar further talked about India-Pakistan cricketing rivalry and praised Inzamam-ul-Haq by saying that it must have taken a lot for the Pakistan captain to enter his opponent’s camp to display such a kind gesture. The legendary Indian batsman said that Inzamam-ul-Haq was always a respectful cricketer and the two shared a good relationship during their playing days.

Sachin Tendulkar talks about Inzamam-ul-Haq’s ‘sweet’ gesture, watch video

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Image credits: Official Twitter accounts of Shoaib Akhtar and Aakash Chopra