Shahid Afridi reveals how he took pity on Harbhajan Singh

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi shared a fascinating story from his playing days, revealing how he took pity on Harbhajan Singh during a match between Pakistan and India.

Shahid Afridi, known for his aggressive batting, disclosed that during a match in Kanpur in April 2005 in India, Harbhajan Singh looked at him with pleading eyes, which led to his downfall.

Shahid Afridi during an interview said that he was batting on 96 in Kanpur when he gently pushed the ball towards mid-on, resulting in a four and bringing up his century.

The former captain expressed regret, saying that he should have hit the next ball for a six instead of trying to defend it. The ball hit his bat and went into the wickets, resulting in his dismissal.

Shahid Afridi jokingly said that he should not have taken pity on Harbhajan Singh, who had looked at him with ‘desperate’ eyes after the century.

Earlier in June 2024, Harbhajan Singh opened up on how Shahid Afridi used to frighten the oppositions including India in their games against the Men in Green.

Discussing the effectiveness and dangerous nature of Shahid Afridi’s batting, he said that the former Pakistan captain had the capability to snatch the game from opposition in a short period of time at the crease.

“Doesn’t matter how much time he spent on the wicket, but he added the duration of our team meeting. I can remember the World Cup match of 2007. If Shahid Afridi is still to bat, there would be fear in the opposition,” Singh said.

According to the Indian spin bowler, the explosive batter could change the course of the match even if he played only 15 balls. “He had the ability to take the game deep.”

Singh revealed that Indian team was concerned regarding Afridi’s major role during the PAK v IND final of the T20 World Cup 2007.