NEW DELHI: Indian wicket-keeper M.S Dhoni terms Pakistan’s speedster Shoaib Akhtar the toughest bowler he has ever faced.

“All the fast bowlers are quite difficult, with the limited technique I had, it was very difficult to face the fast bowlers,” Dhoni explains.

“Still, if I had to pick one, I would pick Shoaib Akhtar.”

Dhoni made the admission the Rawalpindi Express from their fiercest rivals caused more trepidation than any other at a charity dinner hosted by current India captain Virat Kohli this week.

Their paths crossed just 10 times in international cricket: five Tests, and five ODIs. Despite limited contests against each other, the Rawalpinidi Express clearly made his mark, and enjoyed good success, particularly in one-day matches.

“Very simple reason: he was quick, he was fast, he could bowl a yorker, he could bowl a bouncer but you never expected a beamer,” Dhoni said.

“He was a bit unpredictable [but] he was fun to play against.”

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2017