IND vs PAK: "I Actually Have To Thank Both Of Them Because..."- Shoaib Akhtar On Shah Rukh Khan And Salman Khan

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar recently made a huge statement on Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and the impact that they had in his life.

Shoaib Akhtar earlier in the day took to X after there was a rain break in the India-Pakistan game in Colombo. He predicted that the match might be washed out and it eventually happened. The match will now head onto the reserve day with a full 50-over game expected. India will resume their innings on 147/2 after 24.1 overs.

Recently in a video on the YouTube channel ‘Wake up with Sorabh’, Shoaib Akhtar spoke about the two Bollywood superstars and highlighted the role they played in making him a superstar.

“Salman Khan has always been my favourite and I also like Shah Rukh. I actually have to thank both of them because had they not come in my life, I wouldn’t have become a star. I used to copy Salman and Shah Rukh all the time. I also used to copy Waqar Younis’ run-up and also Wasim Akram,” said Shoaib.

I Was Really Lucky To Be Friends With Sachin: Shoaib Akhtar

He further spoke about his friendship with Sachin Tendulkar and also his camaraderie with his former Pakistan teammates.

“I was really lucky to be friends with Sachin. I got along with him really well. People feel we are enemies but that’s really not the case. I was friends with everyone, especially Afridi, Saqlain, Ajju (Azhar Mahmood) and was the naughtiest in the fielding sessions, naughty in a good way. I used to do mimicry and used to copy everyone. I had very few fight,” Shoaib added further.

He concluded by speaking about the love that he has gotten over the years from India. He also said that he wishes that the relations between the two countries improve in the near future.

“I always wanted India to love me as much as Pakistan does. It was always at the back of my mind. I always care about the region. I want trades to open between the two countries and I want things to get normal so I always talk in a balanced manner. People say I make YouTube videos only to make money and get praise from India. But I haven’t done a video in a while” Shoaib concluded saying.