Shoaib Akhtar Recalls Hidden Wagers and Injections with Saqlain Mushtaq to Stop Sachin Tendulkar During 1999 India Tour

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The cricket clashes between India and Pakistan were very intense in the late nineties. Shoaib Akhtar has just revealed a very strange story from the 1999 tour of India. He said he and his friend, Saqlain Mushtaq, made a private bet. They both really wanted to be the person who got Sachin Tendulkar out. Getting Sachin was the best thing a bowler could do in those days. Saqlain had already taken many wickets in the first match in Chennai. So Akhtar told him that he wanted his turn now. It was a big fight between the two bowlers from the same team.

But the story is also about a lot of real physical pain. Akhtar said his knees were in very bad shape during that whole trip. He had to get fluid taken out of his knee all the time with a needle. He also took many injections just to keep playing the cricket matches. Saqlain Mushtaq also had very bad knees at that same time. Both of them were secretly taking pills to hide their bad injuries from the team leaders. They did not want to lose their place in the playing eleven. They were under a lot of pressure to stay fit and fast.

This shows how hard it was to play in those big matches. Getting the wicket of Sachin was a huge pride for the Pakistan team. Akhtar said it was the biggest goal for any bowler in that era of sport. You can read more about how they suffered through their many injuries. They did not want to give up their spot on the cricket field. This memory gives fans a look at the real drama behind the scenes. It was a time of high ego and lots of pain for the fast bowlers. Sachin Tendulkar is still a big part of many stories told by old players today.

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