'Sourav Ganguly said he has always been unfit' - Shoaib Akhtar recalls his stint with KKR in IPL 2008

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has revealed an interesting anecdote from his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2008. He revealed how Sourav Ganguly, the then KKR captain, batted for his selection in the playing XI when the team’s head coach John Buchanan expressed concerns about his match fitness. Notably, Akhtar reeled with injuries throughout his career and missed many significant fixtures due to the same.

Moreover, he had to miss several games for KKR in the inaugural season of IPL as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had imposed a ban on him. Hence, he could play just three games in the season and took five wickets, including a four-wicket haul on debut against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). Meanwhile, even when Akhtar’s ban was uplifted, he wasn’t a certain starter in the playing XI.

I was serving a ban when I joined the KKR camp: Shoaib Akhtar

The former speedster recalled how Buchanan was hesitant regarding his selection, but Ganguly backed him. “I was serving a ban when I joined the KKR camp and hadn’t played matches. John Buchanan told Sourav Ganguly that he doesn’t think I am fit enough. To which Ganguly replied that he has always been unfit. Don’t worry about him. It will be okay even if he’s half unfit,” Akhtar said while appearing on Sportskeeda’s Time Out.

It must be noted that Akhtar, one of the fastest bowlers to have ever graced the game, didn’t play much T20 cricket but still managed to leave a significant mark. While he took five wickets in the IPL, he took 19 wickets in 15 T20Is for the national team. Notably, the fast bowling legend has also been a great admirer of Ganguly as he never holds back while praising the current BCCI president.

As of now, Akhtar is retired but still continues to be in the news due to his bold and controversial statements. He recently stated that current Pakistan skipper Babar Azam would have fetched around INR 15-20 crore, had he been a part of the IPL. Notably, Pakistan players didn’t feature in the Indian competition after the 2008 season amid political tension between the two nations.