"I didn't even dare walk out to him"- Robin Uthappa opens up on the threat he received from Shoaib Akhtar

Robin Uthappa recently shared an intriguing anecdote from his international cricket days where Shoaib Akhtar had threatened the batsman not to play one of his trademark 'walking shots'. The speedster had said that he might even bowl a beamer in response if he sees Uthappa walking down the pitch again.

India won the 5-match ODI series in 2007 against Pakistan by a margin of 3-2, and Robin Uthappa was part of India's ODI set-up at the time. The batsman recently spoke about the threat he received from Shoaib Akhtar for playing one of his 'walking shots'.

"We were playing a game in Guwahati. And since it's in the east of India, it gets dark there early. Back then, we did not have two new balls. After 34 overs, we used to get a ball which used to be 24 overs old but slightly better. Shoaib was bowling and Irfan and I were batting. I think we needed 12 to win off 25 balls or something like that.

"I remember he bowled a yorker to me. I missed it from the arm and only saw it coming straight into the blockhole. I stopped the ball dead there. That was 154 something clicks. Next ball was a low full toss and I hit the ball for four. So after that, we needed 3 or 4 runs to win and I told myself, 'Man, I have to walk out to Shoaib Akhtar and hit him. How many times will I get that opportunity.' He bowled a length ball and I did it; it took the edge and it went for four. We won the match," Robin Uthappa said on 'Wake Up With Sorabh' YouTube channel.

Adding further to the story, the Karnataka batsman said:

"We went to Gwalior for the next game (4th ODI) and I remember we all were having dinner together. I think we hung out in someone's room and having a meal. Shoaib bhai was there as well. He came to me and said 'Robin… well played. Good game'. And then he said 'One more thing… you walked out and hit me today. If you do that again, even I don't know what will happen… you might get a beamer directed at your head.' After that, I didn't even dare walk out to him." Robin Uthappa said.

Happy birthday to Robin Uthappa!He was a part of India's successful 2007 @ICC Men's #T20WorldCup campaign and was among their top five run-scorers 👏 pic.twitter.com/32I6NUL1Hc

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) November 11, 2020

Robin Uthappa didn't have the best of times in the 2007 ODI series against Pakistan, scoring only 31 runs across 4 innings. Yuvraj Singh was the star of the show for India, winning the Man of the Series award for his performance against the arch-rivals.

Robin Uthappa didn't get a game for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021

Robin says 𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗹 up y😷ur masks cause it's high time.#WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/x1Mhk9PIbu

— Chennai Super Kings - Mask P😷du Whistle P🥳du! (@ChennaiIPL) April 29, 2021

The 35-year-old was part of the 2021 edition of the IPL for the Chennai Super Kings. However, before the tournament was postponed, Robin Uthappa failed to get a game for the Chennai outfit.

With Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis showing impressive form at the top of the order, the veteran batsman could not break into the playing XI.

The batsman's best days in the IPL came in KKR's jersey when he won the Orange Cup during the 2014 season and helped the Kolkata franchise win their second title.