In a recent interview, former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh revealed that even the Indian national team had to dedicate extra time in team meetings to strategize against the daunting threat posed by ex-Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, who was known to fire the opposition bowlers.

Singh praised Afridi’s hard-hitting batting. He stated that Afridi had the ability to single-handedly turn the momentum in his team’s favor within just a few deliveries.

“The amount of time he spent batting was irrelevant, as he could quickly shift the momentum of the game. I vividly recall the 2007 World Cup match where Shahid Afridi’s mere presence at the crease struck fear in the opposition. He possessed the uncanny ability to alter the course of the match, often with just 10-15 deliveries. Afridi had a knack for taking the game deep,” remarked Harbhajan on air during the Pakistan vs Canada game.

Harbhajan Singh went on to discuss the 2011 World Cup encounter between the two bitter rivals, in which he prevailed over Afridi.

“During the 2011 World Cup, I opened with a yorker on the first delivery to him. He left the next ball, signaling his intent to play an aggressive shot on the third. True to my prediction, he went for a big hit on the third ball, but ended up getting out. This gave us confidence that from that point on. He was the kind of player who could single-handedly win a match for his team from any situation,” he added.

Shahid Afridi is widely regarded as one of the greatest white-ball cricketers Pakistan has ever produced. Over the course of his illustrious international career, Afridi amassed an impressive 11,196 runs and claimed 541 wickets across all formats.