IND Vs PAK, Cricket World Cup: Shoaib Akhtar's Untimely Post, Gautam Gambhir's Warning - Unmissable Side Stories

Former tearaway Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar faced the wrath of the online mob after he put up a contentious social media post on the India vs Pakistan ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match in Ahmedabad. Akhtar shared a picture of himself from his playing days with the caption - "History shall repeat itself tomorrow". But the Indian cricket supporters jumped to troll the Pakistan legend, reminding him about India's unbeaten 7-0 record against Pakistan in the ODI World Cup. (Scorecard | Live Blog | Full Coverage) 

Facing relentless trolling, Akhtar decided to delete the post and later posted a picture of himself dismissing Sachin Tendulkar in a Test match, with the caption, "Kal agar asa kuch kerna hai, toh #ThandRakh (Keep calm if you want to do something like this tomorrow)".

Meanwhile, former India opener Gautam Gambhir has made heads turn with his comment on fan behaviour during the infamous Virat Kohli-Naveen ul Haq fight that broke out during the Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Kings earlier this year. Though Gambhir himself was a part of the altercation that ensued after the match, he said he expected the fans to behave more sensibly.

In a conversation with presenter Jatin Sapru on his YouTube channel, Gambhir said: “The way the crowd behaved after that fight… the fans could have behaved more sensibly. No one else besides players from the two teams knows what happened between the two sets of players.” 

Gambhir added, “Everyone has the right to fight for their honour and their team. But these fights should stay in the middle, not spill over outside. It doesn’t matter which country you belong to or how good a player you are. So I wish that the crowd behaves in a more sensible manner in the future." 

The ex-India cricketer who is now a Member of Lok Sabha exhorted fans to do better. "When foreign players come to play in India, we should be better brand ambassadors for our country. These players should return with better memories. Whatever country they are from, Pakistan or Afghanistan. It’s not appropriate to troll them viciously for something that happened in the middle. Let’s be better ambassadors," Gambhir said.

Sachin-Waqar Reminisce 1989 'Mai Khelega' Moment On Air

The India vs Pakistan match in Ahmedabad on Saturday saw legendary Pakistan speedster Waqar Younis and all-time batting great Sachin Tendulkar in the commentary box alongside former India all-rounder and coach Ravi Shastri. Shastri tried to remind the duo of an unforgettable moment during India's tour of Pakistan in 1989, which marked Tendulkar's international debut.

The first three Tests were drawn and India were tottering at 38/4 in the second innings during the fourth and final Test in Sialkot. In walked a 16-year-old Tendulkar and he was greeted by a snorter from Younis, which hit the right-hander's nose. Blood came gushing out and Tendulkar fell like a heap on the ground.

But when the physio advised him to leave the field and take treatment, Tendulkar refused and famously remarked, "Mai khelega" (I will play)". Shastri, who too played that match and was the batter whose dismissal brought the 'Little Master' into the middle, asked Tendulkar and Younis to relive that moment. Both players had only kind words to say for each other, and it made for a wholesome moment live on air.     

Anushka Arrives To Egg On Hubby Virat
Accomplished actor-producer Anushka Sharma arrived in Ahmedabad on Saturday morning to watch and cheer her husband Virat Kohli at the titanic India vs Pakistan clash in the Cricket World Cup. Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik and Tendulkar were on the same flight as Anushka, and Karthik posted a mid-air photo of the trio with the caption, "Royalty at 35,000 ft. Wishing #TeamIndia all the very best for today!".  

No Broadcast Of Pre-Match Ceremony Leaves Fans Miffed 
While there was a lot of buzz and excitement ahead of the high-octane India vs Pakistan game, the Board of Control for Cricket in India too had something special planned for the game. There was a special ceremony as a pre-cursor to the match, with renowned singers Arijit Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shankar Mahadevan and Sukhvinder Singh performing.

But minutes before the ceremony was to start, the host broadcaster Star Sports posted a social media message stating that the match had been "planned only for in-stadia fans", and would not be broadcast. The bizarre last-minute announcement left the fans dismayed, and many took to social media to express their anger at being denied the extravaganza that was promised earlier.