Mohammad Asif Reveals An Interesting Conversation With Shoaib Akhtar That Motivated Him To Bamboozle Indian Batsmen During The 2006 Karachi Test

Mohammad Asif is one of the biggest wasted talents of the 21st century. He is an epitome of the fact that talent can be the most useless virtue to possess if one doesn’t possess the necessary temperament to cope with the fame, adulation, and pressure that international cricket brings with it.

Asif made his debut back in 2005 and courtesy the way he made the ball move in the air as well as off the seam, he was immediately hailed as the next big thing in world cricket.

Asif bowled a lot of memorable spells during his 5-year-career, one of them being his complete annihilation of the Indian batting unit in the Karachi Test of 2006.

And, Asif also hails it as one of the most memorable spells of his career. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Asif went down memory lane and revealed an interesting conversation that he had with fellow teammate Shoaib Akhtar before India’s second innings.

Also Read: Mohammad Asif Laments At Not Getting A Second Chance; Says Players Fixed Before Him And After Him

Mohammad Asif opens up on his performance against India in the 2006 Karachi Test

Asif revealed that Shoaib was worried about they would get the famed Indian batting line-up dismissed and he just went there and showed him, how it’s done.

“So my all spells were good, but if I had to narrow it down, I’d remember the Karachi Test against India. The biggest batting line-up of the time. I remember Shoaib Akhtar in the dressing room worrying about how we’d get them out. I just got them out and showed him. So that particular game I remember.”

Coming back to that Karachi Test, the Test match is remembered for Irfan Pathan’s hat-trick in the first over of the match. But, unfortunately, that was the only shining moment for the visitors from that Test match. Kamran Akmal scored a counter-attacking hundred to lift the home side from a precarious situation of 6-39 to 245 all-out. India was then dismissed for 238 in their first innings, post which Pakistan batsmen put India to the sword by racking up 599 in their second essay.

Asif claimed 7-126 which includes wickets of Virender Sehwag (twice), Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid (twice), and VVS Laxman (twice).

The right-hander claimed 3-48 in the second innings to help Pakistan dismiss India for 265 and notch up a 341-run-win and also a 1-0 series win.

Also Read: Mohammad Asif Laments At Not Getting A Second Chance; Says Players Fixed Before Him And After Him