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Growing up as cricket fans in the subcontinent, we’ve all come across tales of the fierce rivalry between India and Pakistan. From the days of Sunil Gavaskar and Javed Miandad to the iconic duels of batting great Sachin Tendulkar and express pacer Shoaib Akhtar, both teams have had some epic matchups over the years. However, the former players from both camps have also spoken about their bonds with each other off the field. Akhtar has often narrated tales of his bromance with several Indian players, including spinner Harbhajan Singh.
Speaking of bromance, Akhtar and Harbhajan recently caught up with each other in the UAE. Both former players are currently working as experts for the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 League.
Fans were lucky to witness another moment of bromance between Harbhajan and Akhtar. In a video uploaded on the former pacer’s YouTube channel, Akhtar and Harbhajan can be seen having a sprint race, followed by a bit of banter.
“Everytime I post a video with Bhajji, the views are in millions. Aaj tu race haar gaya na, view badhwa diye (Since you lost the race, the views will increase),” Akhtar can be heard as saying.
“40 lakh views aane chahiye,” replies Harbhajan, to which Akhtar says: “40 lakh nahi, 4 crore (not 40 lakh, 4 crore).”
Akhtar’s career was cut-short by injuries. He hung up his boots after the 2011 World Cup in India, owing to knee related issues.
Akhtar, who made his international debut in 1997, took 178 wickets in 46 Tests, the last of which was against India at Bangalore in 2007. He bagged 247 wickets in 163 one-day internationals and also took 19 wickets in 15 T20Is.
Harbhajan, on the other hand, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2021.
The off-spinner was an integral part of the Indian team across formats in the 2000s and won the 2007 ICC WT20 and the 2011 ICC World Cup with the team under MS Dhoni‘s captaincy. Harbhajan shot to fame in 2001 as he played a stellar role in helping India beat Steve Waugh‘s all-conquering Australian side in a home Test series.
Harbhajan made his international debut as a 17-year-old against Australia in Bengaluru in March 1998. He would go on to pick up 417 wickets in 103 Test matches.
He also represented India in 236 ODIs, in which he picked up 269 wickets. He also picked up 25 wickets in 28 T20Is.
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