Throwback Thursday: When Shahid Afridi Sledged Sachin Tendulkar

10 Days to Go for the most the most awaited match of the year!! India would take on Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022 after a grueling defeat last year. Fans on both sides are excited and how! Will India be able to clinch to the title of the best ODI team or will Pakistan display the impeccable performance they did the last time? Only time will tell.For those of you living under a rock, on August 28, the Indian cricket team will face Pakistan in a crucial Asia Cup encounter. The teams will square off 10 months after the T20 World Cup, in which Pakistan upset the Virat Kohli-led Indian team by ten wickets. The rivalry between these two neighboring cricket teams has always been intense, and there have been countless occasions where players have gotten into verbal altercations on the pitch.Virender Sehwag, a former Indian opener, recalled one such incidence during the 2003 World Cup when former Pakistani batsman Shahid Afridi verbally assaulted the master blaster. Sachin being Sachin, didn’t loose his cool and displayed the anger through his spectacular performance. Tendulkar blasted Shoaib Akhtar for 18 runs in his first over, including a six and two fours.Watch the video of Sehwag’s narration down below,u00a0 (courtesy Star Sports)
In this match, Tendulkar cramped up halfway through the innings, and Sehwag came back as a runner when Shahid Afridi sledged him. u201cI was asked to run for him during this critical game because he was having mad cramps, and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi was leaving no opportunity to sledge him. However, Sachin kept his calm and remained focused on the game. He knew how important it was for him to stay at the crease. Sachin usually never takes a runner, but he knew that if I came, I would run as he did. There won’t be any misunderstanding, Sehwag mentioned in a video posted by Star Sports.Despite all of this, Sachin was at his best and even went on to score an incredible 98 runs in just 75 balls as a consequence of which India maintained their undefeated World Cup streak against Pakistan by chasing down the 274 runs target with six wickets remaining. Sehwag discussed the rivalry between the two sides and claimed it is still fierce. He added that the nature of the rivalry would inevitably lead to altercations and incidents involving players from both teams.
What do you think of Sehwag’s comments?u00a0
How do you think has India Pakistan rivalry changed over the years? Comment down below.