Former Pakistani tearway speedster Shoaib Akhtar is known for his open, straight and candid talk and often hogs the limelight with a controversy or two. Much like his fearsome fast bowling which earned him the nickname 'Rawalpindi Express', Akhtar is generally on fire with his pointed comments on cricketing subjects and does not mind calling a spade a spade.

Amid the COVID-19 induced lockdown, Akhtar appeared on an exclusive chat show with Helo App and spoke his heart out on some interesting on field duels with Indian cricketers, his bond with Bollywood stars and his passion for the game.

Akhtar termed the former Indian opening duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir as good souls but was a touch dissapointed with their conduct and what they spoke at times while coming on television or social media platforms. The Pak fast bowling great said that he would avoid using the same language as children watched those shows.

Akhtar revealed that though he carried an image of being a fiery, serious and aggresive character on the green turf, he was quite soft hearted from within.

Akhtar heaped praises on Bollywood superstar and his former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team owner Shah Rukh Khan by saying that he connects extremely well with each of his fan and his warmth towards them seems as if he has known them since long. He termed SRK as his elder brother and added that he shares the same bond with Aamir Khan.

Akhtar expressed his delight and hope on the new generation of fast bowlers in Pakistan and was quite confident that Naseem Shah and others will follow his attitude and passion in honing their skills at the art of fast bowling. In coming years they'll also be more prepared ....and more conscious about their bowling...! instead of aggressiveness, said Akhtar.

The speedster spoke about the warmth and affection rendered to him by his Indian fans and revealed that he donates 30 percent of his total earnings from India in India. During the 2005 earthquake, he supported many Indians in India and helped lots of Hindus in Pakistan.