“Tendulkar has derailed the Rawalpindi Express”: Shoaib Akhtar was once slammed by Navjot Singh Sidhu for his claim that Sachin Tendulkar fears him

Former Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar shared a great rivalry between them. Both of them always tried to get on top of each other, and the battle was enjoyed by the fans all around the glove. They were certainly masters of their respective crafts.

In his autobiography Controversially Yours, Akhtar made a bold and controversial claim where he said that Tendulkar was feared of facing him. This comment made was criticized not only in India but Pakistan as well. The outrage was so much that Akhtar could not even come to India for the launch.

Although, it is safe to say that both had mutual respect as well for each other. Akhtar once expressed his delight about being in the same team with Tendulkar during the all-star series. He even said that Tendulkar’s wicket in the Kolkata Test made him a superstar.

Shoaib Akhtar was once slammed by Navjot Singh Sidhu for his claim on Sachin Tendulkar

Former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu was quite critical of Akhtar’s comments in his book. He called it cheap publicity by the Pakistani pacer to sell his book. Sidhu had said that a player like Tendulkar could not be afraid of any bowler as he conquered the whole world.

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Sidhu had exclaimed that Tendulkar dominated the express pacer throughout his career and his name will forever be written in cricketing history.

“A player (Sachin Tendulkar) who has conquered the whole world and stands tall like the Himalayas, can he be afraid of any bowler? It’s just cheap publicity, there was no need for such a gimmick,” Navjot Singh Sidhu said in a private event in Kolkata.

“Tendulkar has derailed the Rawalpindi Express (a name given to Akhtar for his fast deliveries) many a time. He is not a mortal but an institution in himself. His name is etched in world history forever.”

Sachin Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhu helped India to post their first 300+ ODI score

Scoring 300 runs in ODIs is a piece of cake these days, but the same was not the case earlier. Team India had posted their first 300+ score in ODIs in 1996 against Pakistan in Sharjah. Both Sidhu and Tendulkar played a big part in that total.

Batting first, India lost their first wicket for just nine runs, where batter Vikram Rathour got out after scoring two runs. The pair of Sidhu and Tendulkar then added 231 runs for the second wicket. Tendulkar scored 118 runs in 140 balls, whereas Sidhu scored 101 runs in 117 balls.

India posted a total of 305/5 and won the match by 28 runs in the end. The Indian pace duo of Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad took three wickets each.