“Wicket Was Turning So Much That In 2nd Innings, I Was Only Bowling Leg-breaks” – Wasim Akram Recalls India-Pakistan 1987 Test

Legendary Pakistan National Cricket Team speedster Wasim Akram recalled a Test match between India National Cricket Team and Pakistan National Cricket Team from 1987, where he had bowled only leg-breaks to the Indian batters in the second innings with the new ball.

Pakistan legend was talking about the 5th Test match of the five-match series between India and Pakistan, which was played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru (then Bangalore) from March 13 to 17, 1987. The Men In Green had posted scores of 116 & 249 on the board and they managed to bowl out India for 145 & 204 to secure a 16-run win. Also, Pakistan won the Test series by 1-0.

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Meanwhile, Star Sports have launched a video series on their official YouTube channel where former cricketers recall their best memories from the India-Pakistan clash.

In a video of the series, India legend Kapil Dev and Pakistan legend Wasim Akram talked about their favourite matches. During the interaction, Akram revealed that he had bowled only leg-breaks in the second innings with the new ball in the 1987 Test and even managed to bag wickets of Kris Srikkanth and Mohinder Amarnath.

“There was some grass on the wicket,” Akram began narrating the story before Kapil chipped in, saying, “.. but it was removed in the night before the match!”

Akram let out a chuckle, saying, “But still, it was there in patches. And the ball was turning a lot. The wicket was turning so much that in the second innings, I was only bowling leg-breaks with the new ball. And I even picked two wickets, Srikkanth and Mohinder Amarnath!.”

Gavaskar was timing it so brilliantly we thought he was batting on some different pitch – Kapil Dev

During the same interaction, the World Cup-winning captain Kapil said that the batting legend Sunil Gavaskar batted exceptionally well in the 5th Test of the 1987 Test series against Pakistan and it almost felt like he was batting on a different surface.

“I have played with Sunil Gavaskar almost all through my career. It was his last Test. No one was able to read where the ball was going, but Gavaskar was timing it so brilliantly we thought he was batting on some different pitch. I think we lost by 16 runs in that game,” Kapil recalled.

Notably, the India-Pakistan clash in Bengaluru in 1987 was the final Test match of Gavaskar. The batting legend had smashed 21 & 96 runs in the match and won the Player of the Match award, despite finishing on the losing side.

Talking about the India-Pakistan clash, in their tournament opener, the India National Cricket Team are set to lock horns with Babar Azam -led Pakistan National Cricket Team at the Dubai International Stadium, on Sunday, August 28.

Also Read: India vs Pakistan: Watch – Virat Kohli Spotted Clicking Selfie With A Pakistani Fan Ahead Of Asia Cup 2022

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