Lakshmipathy Balaji was my toughest opponent, couldn't get him out: Shoaib Akhtar

Legendary former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar was undoubtedly one of the best ever that Pakistan has produced. In his prime, the Rawalpindi Express was a force to be reckoned with. On his day, Akhtar had even the best of batters at his mercy.

In a career filled to the brim with wickets by the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and many more, there is one player who gave trouble even to the legendary pacer. In a recent interview,  Akhtar came forward to reveal that former Indian pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji was one player that he had a lot of trouble dismissing. 

"Lakshmipathy Balaji used to be my biggest opponent. He used to hate me like anything, I was all over the place man. I could not get him out," Shoaib Akhtar said on ‘Wake Up With Sorabh’ (YouTube Channel).

The pressure is on you: Akhtar

During the interview, Akhar was also asked about his thoughts on the upcoming World Cup 2023. It is worth noting that the marquee tournament is all set to begin on October 5 with India hosting the tournament in its entirety for the first time.

Ahead of the tournament, Akhtar was asked who he thinks has the best bowling attack in the competition. Without hesitation, the former pacer named Pakistan with the best bowling attack in world cricket. He also talked of the India-Pakistan clash that is slated to take place on October 14 in Ahmedabad. Akhtar opined that all the pressure is on India and that the media will eat the side if they lose to Pakistan. 

“We have to come to India and we want to defeat India. We haven’t spent 600 crores. You want to come to India, the pressure is on you, the media will eat you up right away,” Akhtar said