Former India opening batter Virender Sehwag had earlier this week given a big statement, saying Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar knew that he was chucking. The swashbuckling batter made the statement during an episode of 'Home Of Heroes' on Sports18. Sehwag also said that it was difficult to guess where the ball was coming out of Akhtar's hands. "Shoaib knows he used to jerk his elbow; he knew he was chucking too. Why would ICC ban him otherwise? Brett Lee's hand came down straight, so it was easy to pick the ball. But with Shoaib, you could never guess where the hand and the ball will come from," Sehwag had said on Sports 18.
Akhtar has now reacted to Sehwag's statement, saying if the Indian opening batter knows more than ICC, then he would agree with him. The former Pak pacer also requested Sehwag to be cautious while making such statements.
"Cricketers should make sure their statements don't disturb the harmony between India and Pakistan. If there's scope for improvement in relations between the two countries, I should be able to play that bridge. I request Sehwag to be mindful while making such statements in the age of social media. I would request Virender Sehwag not to make such statements. If he knows more than the ICC, then I would agree with him. But that is his opinion. Rest, I can't say much about that," Akhtar told Sportskeeda.
"I don't know if he has said this in a light-hearted tone or seriously. But whatever he says, I don't feel bad about it at all. I wish him all the best. He is entitled to his own opinions and thoughts. That's all I have to say. I am at a stage and age where I would weigh my comments very carefully. I would not make any statement on any player who has played at the national level, which hurts that person's reputation in any way," he stated further.
Sehwag played nine Tests against Pakistan in his career, registering 1,276 runs at an average of 91.14. He has a triple century, two double tons and a hundred against Pakistan.
Overall, Sehwag has scored 8,536 runs in 104 Tests. He has also played 251 ODIs, scoring 8,273 runs while in 19 T20Is, he has 394 runs.
On the other hand, Akhtar played 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20Is for Pakistan. Across all three formats of the game, he scalped 444 wickets.