"Bought Glasses, Shirts Like Anil Kapoor And Took Photos On Chennai Beach": Wasim Akram On His First Tour Of India

The India vs Pakistan rivalry has been one of cricket's most enthralling contests over the years and legends from both the countries have shared several anecdotes about their experience of not just playing in the high pressure contest but also of touring either country. As the current crop of players get ready to battle in the upcoming Asia Cup, with the two teams clashing on August 28, broadcaster Star Sports shared a clip of a show Frenemies, where legendary fast bowlers Kapil Dev and Wasim Akram shared their memories of classic India vs Pakistan matches.

Akram shared an interesting anecdote about his first tour of India in 1987. The left-arm pacer was a lanky youngster then and he spoke about his excitement about touring India for the first time.

"I will talk about the 1987 tour because I was very excited as I was going to India for the first time and there was so much craze about India in Pakistan at that time. Before the first Test in Chennai, me and Ijaz (Ahmed) saw a Film magazine, I am forgetting the name of the magazine, and it had photographs of Anil Kapoor in it. 

"Both of us bought similar classes and shirts and then went to the beach in Chennai and took photos. We had kept cameras with us as we were travelling to India for the first time. I bowled on the Chennai track and although it was white and flat, there was good bounce on the track," Akram said while talking to Kapil Dev.

It was a landmark series for Pakistan as they went on to beat India in the fifth and final Test to record their first ever Test series win on Indian soil. They also beat the hosts in the ODI series comfortably.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Wasim Akram Kapil Dev Cricket