"Aaj Tu Race Har Gaya Na": Shoaib Akhtar Quips Harbhajan Singh. This Is His Reply

Growing up as cricket fans in the subcontinent, we've all come across tales of the fierce rivalry between India and Pakistan. From the days of Sunil Gavaskar and Javed Miandad to the iconic duels of batting great Sachin Tendulkar and express pacer Shoaib Akhtar, both teams have had some epic matchups over the years. However, the former players from both camps have also spoken about their bonds with each other off the field. Akhtar has often narrated tales of his bromance with several Indian players, including spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Speaking of bromance, Akhtar and Harbhajan recently caught up with each other in the UAE. Both former players are currently working as experts for the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 League.

Fans were lucky to witness another moment of bromance between Harbhajan and Akhtar. In a video uploaded on the former pacer's YouTube channel, Akhtar and Harbhajan can be seen having a sprint race, followed by a bit of banter.

"Everytime I post a video with Bhajji, the views are in millions. Aaj tu race haar gaya na, view badhwa diye (Since you lost the race, the views will increase)," Akhtar can be heard as saying.

"40 lakh views aane chahiye," replies Harbhajan, to which Akhtar says: "40 lakh nahi, 4 crore (not 40 lakh, 4 crore)."

Akhtar's career was cut-short by injuries. He hung up his boots after the 2011 World Cup in India, owing to knee related issues.

Akhtar, who made his international debut in 1997, took 178 wickets in 46 Tests, the last of which was against India at Bangalore in 2007. He bagged 247 wickets in 163 one-day internationals and also took 19 wickets in 15 T20Is.

Harbhajan, on the other hand, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2021. 

The off-spinner was an integral part of