When Shoaib Akhtar bashed Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was the player with whom I often had spat with though were were friends off the field, said Harbhajan Singh. “Shoaib abused me a lot. He used to sit with us, ate with us. Since he was too close to us, maybe he used to take us for granted. He challenged me once to hit a six and when I hit a six, he was shocked. He then bowled two consecutive bouncers which I evaded. He then abused me and I replied back. But after the game, we sat together as if nothing happened," Harbhajan was quoted as saying in ‘Aap ki Adalat’ programme to be aired soon. “Shoaib once threatened me he would come to my room and beat me. I told him come, let’s see who beats whom. I was really scared. He is a great hulk. He once bashed me and Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) inside a room. Since he was heavy, it was difficult to catch him,” Harbhajan said. Asked how he felt playing against Pakistan, Harbhajan said, “As a player I feel great after defeating a big team. In those days the Pakistan team was great, it had players like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younus, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shoaib Akhtar. For us that used to be a special game, a special moment. I feel media creates too much hype for India-Pakistan matches.” Harbhajan said he would be writing his autobiography soon and any producer was welcome to make a biopic based on his book. Harbhajan also recounted an incident in which he, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan once tried to make fun with Sachin Tendulkar and threw him into a jacuzzi. “Sachin Tendulkar Paaji has a great sense of humour. His oneliners are great, which normally one never hears.” On the new national coach Anil Kumble, Harbhajan said: “Anil bhai is a man I respect a lot. I played with him for many years. I learnt one thing from him — ‘In life don’t ever give up’. He was a cricketer with a serious bent of mind. He knows my mischievous nature. I don’t think he had any problems with me ever.”