Sachin Tendulkar won't admit it, but he was scared of Akhtar, Ajmal: Shahid Afridi

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has stood by his 9-year-old claim where he stated that the great Sachin Tendulkar was scared of Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar. Afridi stated that Sachin Tendulkar himself won't admit it, and that many legendary batsmen have found themselves intimidated by the Rawalpindi Express.

In his book Controversially Yours, Akhtar had said that the Mumbai batsman was scared of him, a claim that found support from Afridi, who said

“He (Sachin Tendulkar) was scared of Shoaib. I have seen it myself. I was fielding at square leg and saw his legs trembling when Shoaib came on to bowl.”

Speaking to Zainab Abbas in a chat on YouTube, the 40-year-old said -

“Dekhiye Sachin Tendulkar aapne muh se toh nahi kahega ki main dar raha hu (Sachin obviously won’t say it himself that ‘I’m scared’). There were some spells from Shoaib Akhtar in which not only Sachin Tendulkar but some of the world’s best also got shaken up."

“When you are fielding at mid-off or covers, you can see it. You can sense the body language of a player. You can easily understand that a batsman is under pressure, he is not at his usual best. I’m not saying that Shoaib has scared Tendulkar always but there have been some spells from Shoaib that have pushed some of the world’s best including Tendulkar on to the backfoot," he added.

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'Sachin Tendulkar also looked scared of Saeed Ajmal'

Sachin Tendulkar survived a close call in the 2011 WC semi-final against Ajmal

Shahid Afridi also stated that Sachin Tendulkar was afraid of mystery bowler Saeed Ajmal, presumably in the 2011 World Cup. The game saw a controversial decision as an LBW appeal from Ajmal after the Master Blaster missed a flick looked plumb on-field, only for the DRS to adjudge that the ball was missing leg.

The former leg-spinner said:

"During the World Cup, he also looked scared of Saeed Ajmal. It’s not a big deal, players do feel the pressure at times and it becomes difficult,” he said.

Shahid Afridi has been the source of many controversial claims of late. He had earlier stated that the Pakistan team used to beat the Indians so often that the Men in Blue would beg for forgiveness after the match.

Sachin Tendulkar has had many battles with Shoaib Akhtar in the past, but these claims do not affect his legacy as arguably the greatest batsman of all time.