Former India opening batsman Virender Sehwag has revealed that there was only one bowler he was scared to face during his playing days – Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.

Sehwag made his ODI debut against Pakistan in 1999 in Mohali and was dismissed lbw for one by Akhtar who was at his peak at the time. Sehwag batted in the middle order at that time but returned as an opener and turned into one of the most destructive batsmen the game has seen.

Sehwag scored a triple century in the 2004 Multan Test against a Pakistan attack that also included Akhtar. Despite getting the better of Akhtar a few times in his career, the former India opener said he was still scared to face the Rawalpindi Express.

“If there is one bowler I was scared of, it was Shoaib Akhtar. You didn’t know which ball would hit your shoe and which one your head. He has hit many bouncers on my head. I was scared of him but I also enjoyed hitting him (for boundaries),” Sehwag said in a video chat hosted by UCBrowser.