The India-Pakistan rivalry is one of the fiercest in cricket history. Despite the fact that the two countries have stopped touring one other due to political differences, they often meet at International Cricket Council’s (ICC) major tournaments. Shoaib Malik discloses the reason behind Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra’s success against Pakistan.

One cannot forget the moments when the two countries competed in one-on-one series. Indian bowlers Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra, and Zaheer Khan were at their best against “Pakistan”. Hat-trick in the first over of the 2006 Karachi test is the reason Pathan is most known for.

Although, playing against Pathan was quite easier for the Former Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik as he averaged 89.50 against him.

 “My average against Irfan Pathan is good because I play the inswing well. At that time, Irfan did not bowl out-swingers. He added it to his arsenal later, but early in his career, he majorly bowled in-swinging deliveries. So, I knew he would bowl an in-swinger, and I prepared myself accordingly,” Shoaib Malik stated.

He also revealed the success of Zaheer and Nehra, pointing the fact that these two targeted the edges of the bat, creating difficulties for the players against them.

“Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra targeted the edges of the bat. Hence, they took many wickets against Pakistan. If a bowler targets the edge, he will be more successful. I feel my ability to play the in-swinging deliveries helped me do well against Irfan,” Shoaib remarked.

Meanwhile, Shoaib creates headlines on a regular basis by sharing details about his personal life on social media.