London: Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni rated Shoaib Akhtar, the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ from Pakistan, as the toughest bowler that he had ever faced in his 13-year long career.
Speaking at the Virat Kohli charity dinner on Monday, which was attended by the entire Indian team, Dhoni displayed a characteristic candour. “All the fast bowlers are quite difficult, with the limited technique I had, it was very difficult to face the fast bowlers. Still, if I had to pick one, I would pick Shoaib Akhtar. 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, he was a bit unpredictable, he was fun to play against,” Dhoni was quoted by the Cricketnext.com website.
Asked about the Duckworth-Lewis system, which has been playing a big part in the tournament with rain interrupting many of the matches, Dhoni’s reply was: “I don’t think even ICC understands the D/L method.”
Dhoni was also earlier critical of the DRS system, saying “If you see the deviations in DRS, there are quite a few deviations. Even the makers agree that can happen. Now you have to also take into account whether it was given not out or out. If it was given out it needs to touch the stump [for the decision to remain out]; if it was not out it needs to hit half the stump [to be given out]. That itself makes the variable too big. In cricket every inch, every millimetre, matters.”
Meanwhile, media reports say that the presence of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya at the charity dinner saw the national cricket team including the skipper maintaining a safe distance from him.
“Look, Virat or his foundation never invited Mallya at the function. But normally what happens at the charity dinner is that someone who has bought a table is entitled to invite his guests. Similarly, someone who bought a table must have invited him,” a top BCCI source present at the function said.
