Few rivalries in sport generate the same passion as an India-Pakistan cricket match. Every contest is played under an unforgiving spotlight, and the 2010 Asia Cup in Dambulla was no exception. The group-stage clash on 19 June went down to the final over, but it is remembered as much for the fiery confrontation between Shoaib Akhtar and Harbhajan Singh as for the result itself.
Pakistan, batting first, put up 267, anchored by Salman Butt’s splendid 74 and an unbeaten half-century from Kamran Akmal. India’s reply was steady but tense, with Gautam Gambhir providing the foundation and MS Dhoni lending support before the chase tightened in the closing stages. When Ravindra Jadeja fell, India still required 49 off 29 balls. Harbhajan Singh joined Suresh Raina at the crease, and the equation soon narrowed to 16 from the final two overs.
The 49th over, bowled by Akhtar, lit the spark. Raina launched a huge six, followed by quick runs, before Harbhajan faced the last delivery. A sharp bouncer saw him mistime a pull, and Akhtar stormed down the pitch, unleashing words in the Indian spinner’s direction. Harbhajan replied in kind, forcing umpire Billy Doctrove to intervene. The duel had become personal.
The contest reached its crescendo in the final over. With Raina run out and Praveen Kumar scrambling a couple of runs, Harbhajan was left with three required from two balls. On Mohammad Amir’s fifth delivery, he struck cleanly over mid-wicket for six, sealing victory by three wickets with one ball to spare. The celebration was visceral – helmet off, arms raised, and a roar directed straight at Akhtar at third man. The Pakistani pacer, unimpressed, made a V sign with his fingers and turned away.
The drama carried into the post-match exchanges. “I went looking for Harbhajan Singh in the hotel room to fight with him,” Akhtar later admitted in a video interview on the Helo app. “He eats with us, roams around with us in Lahore, culture is similar to us, he is a Punjabi brother and yet he will misbehave with us? I thought I will go and fight with him in the hotel room. He knew that Shoaib was coming. But I couldn’t find him. I calmed down the next day and he had also apologised.”
Harbhajan remembered it differently. “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.”
Their exchanges resurfaced years later during the Legends League Cricket Masters. Akhtar recalled: “He was bowling so good in Faisalabad, then I hit him for two sixes!” To which Harbhajan replied: “I didn’t say anything to you when you hit those two sixes. But when I hit a six against you, you said so many things!” Akhtar countered: “Should I tell everyone what you said? You actually started it,” only for Harbhajan to snap back: “I didn’t start. He just got angry, how can he hit a six against me!” The banter ended with Harbhajan joking: “When he can’t win with words, he starts hitting people.”
