People in Pakistan say, 'Rohit Sharma is the Inzamam-ul-Haq of India' - Shoaib Akhtar

The former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has heaped praises on the Indian cricket team. He asserted that the fans in Pakistan are fond of quite a few players of team India. The former cricketer revealed that the Pakistani fans openly appreciate the Indian team for their performances.

Akhtar added that the audiences adore the Indian skipper Virat Kohli and consider Rohit Sharma an even greater player. He further said that the cricket supporters in Pakistan also appreciate Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant and pointed that the fans have a good narrative towards team India.

“Today, there are no Pakistanis who say that India does not have a good team. They appreciate it openly. They consider Virat Kohli is a great player and Rohit Sharma even greater. People here in Pakistan say, ‘he is the Inzamam-Ul-Haq of India’. People appreciate Rishabh Pant, for the way he had played in Australia. Then there is Suryakumar Yadav. He is being appreciated too. So, Pakistan holds a very good narrative about India,” Akhtar told Zee News.

I am a lucky Pakistani who Indians love so much: Shoaib Akhtar

Akhtar is often vocal about his views on cricket and has always gone on to put forward his thoughts on the India-Pakistan clashes. He thus opened up on the same and said that his videos wherein he talks about cricket aren’t on the ground of hate. The pacer also asserted that his comments on the game are balanced and that he is fortunate to have a good fan following in India.

“If you look at my videos, they are not on the ground of hate. I believe that as a former cricketer, a brand ambassador, and a human being, that my comments should be balanced. People say that the comments I make are to make money. That is not true. I have so many fans in India. I am a lucky Pakistani who Indians love so much. There is no doubt about that. I don’t want to hurt their sentiments or mine,” Akhtar added.

India and Pakistan are all set to lock horns with each other for their opening fixture of the T20 World Cup on October 24. This is a highly anticipated clash wherein the Men in Blue have a dominating record against their arch-rivals in the World Cups.