Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has made a bold statement. Afridi said that he used to enjoy playing against India, claiming that their domination over their arch-rivals was such that Indian cricketers would seek forgiveness from them at the end of the match.
Nicknamed Lala, Afridi played for Pakistan between 1996 and 2017, featuring in 27 Tests (1716 runs and 48 wickets), 398 ODIs (8064 runs and 395 wickets) and 99 T20 Internationals (1416 runs and 98 wickets).
Pakistan do enjoy a superior head-to-head record against India in Test and ODI cricket. Pakistan lead India 73-55 in ODIs. The two teams have met 59 times in Tests with Pakistan winning 12 games while India managed 9 victories. India are only ahead in the T20s, having won 6 out of 8 matches played against Pakistan.
Speaking on Cric Casst show on YouTube, Afridi said, “I have always enjoyed India. Unhe to theek-thaak mara hai humne. Itna mara hai unhe ki match ke baad maafiyan mangi hai unhone. (We’ve thrashed them a lot. I believe we’ve beaten them so much that they used to ask us for forgiveness after the match)."
Afridi also maintained that he has always had a great time playing against India. “I have enjoyed a lot playing against India and Australia, you have more pressure. They are good teams, big teams. Going and performing in their conditions is the big thing,” he added.
“My most memorable inning was the 141 against India, that too in India. I was not going on that trip; they were not taking me. Wasim bhai and the chief selector that time supported me a lot. It was a very difficult tour and that inning was very important,” he said.
“I have always stood by this (2016 statement in which he said he got the maximum love and support from Indian fans). When I believe in something I said then I apologise later. Allah has given me a big heart and I can apologise whenever I have said anything wrong,” said Afridi.
“The circumstances were difficult back in 2016 when I went to India for the T20 World Cup. We weren’t certain whether we will be allowed to go to India or not. Not only did I go there as Pakistan captain but also as my country’s ambassador so I had to deal with situations accordingly."
“What I said about the crowd support in India back then, that statement was only for well-educated and intelligent people,” Afridi said.
