'We had decided to target Ganguly on his ribs' - Shoaib Akthar sheds light on bizarre team meeting prior to India match

Sourav Ganguly laid the foundation for modern cricket in India with his aggressive captaincy. The left-hander changed the face of Indian cricket as he identified some great players like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and MS Dhoni. Shoaib Akhtar and Ganguly contest was most loved by every cricket fan during their era. The lethal deliveries from the Rawalpindi star to Sourav Ganguly are still afresh in everyone's memories.

After almost 23 years, the Pakistani pacer has shed light on the incident and the bizarre dressing room meeting before it. He said to Virender Sehwag in the Star Sports' 'Frenemies' show that he was told to attack Ganguly's ribs at the team meeting. The 47-year-old added that he questioned the decision and enquired if he needed to pick the skipper's wicket or not. Akhtar added that he was advised to only attack Ganguly's ribs and not pick his wicket.

"I was always trying to target the head and rubs of a batsman. We had decided to target Ganguly on his ribs. In fact, it was decided in our meeting itself where it was discussed how I will try to hit batters. I asked, “Do I not dismiss them?'. They said, ‘No. You have a lot of pace. You just try to hot the batters, we will take care of getting them out’,” he said on the show.

The former India opener Virender Sehwag gave a cheeky reply and said that the former Indian skipper would watch the interview. "I'm sure Ganguly will be listening to this interview," Sehwag said to Shoaib Akhtar upon his revelation. The lethal delivery forced the Indian medical staff to take the skipper off the field. However, the fighter bounced back to make a stunning ton against the same Pakistan bowling attack at Adelaide.

Sourav Ganguly to lead India Maharajas

Sourav Ganguly will feature in the special match against World Giants and will lead India Maharajas. The match will be played on September 16 to celebrate India's 75 years of Independence. And the CEO of the Legends Cricket League Raman Raheja revealed that the former skipper did not charge any fee for the match.

"No, Sourav Ganguly will not be charging anything for this match. This is a special match dedicated to the 75th year of Independence. We are working on some special issues that would be supported by the league. We would not like to call it a charity match,” he said.