"Sourav Ganguly told KKR head coach that I have always been unfit" - Shoaib Akhtar reveals the story behind his IPL debut

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar recently shared a few interesting stories from the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) while appearing on Sportskeeda's Time Out. He revealed how Sourav Ganguly had come to his rescue when Kolkata Knight Riders head coach John Buchanan expressed concerns about his match fitness.

Akhtar explained how he had to miss several matches for the franchise, owing to a ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). However, the board later cleared him to play just before the 35th league match of the tournament.

The speedster described how John Buchanan had told captain Sourav Ganguly that he didn't think Akhtar should be in the playing eleven because of fitness issues. The pacer claimed that Ganguly backed him by telling the coach that he has always been unfit but has still performed well.

Shoaib Akhtar said:

"I was serving a ban when I joined the KKR camp and hadn't played matches. John Buchanan told Sourav Ganguly that he doesn't think I am fit enough. To which Ganguly replied that he has always been unfit. Don't worry about him. It will be okay even if he's half unfit. "

It is worth mentioning that Akhtar made a fabulous start to his IPL career. The right-armer claimed four crucial wickets in his debut game against Delhi. He was adjudged the Player of the Match for his exploits with the ball in the fixture.

Watch the video here:

Shoaib Akhtar stats in IPL 2008

The 45-year-old has just three games to his name in the cash-rich league. He managed to pick up five wickets in the same and had a decent economy rate of 7.71.

What a day it was. Full of adrenaline rush. I gave an in depth analysis of that performance as a journey down the memory lane. Do check it out.

youtu.be/2-MviQC8QWg twitter.com/KKRiders/statu…

Shoaib Akhtar was the Kolkata-based franchise's first pick at the first-ever IPL auction. The team had acquired the champion bowler's services for $425,000 at the event. Akhtar could not be a part of the tournament after the edition due to the political tension between India and Pakistan.

View the IPL 2022 orange cap here.