“Dimag Se Pagal Hai!” – Munaf Patel on Shoaib Akhtar

Former India pacer and 2011 World Cup winner Munaf Patel has given one of the most unusual yet heartfelt compliments to Pakistan legend Shoaib Akhtar.

Speaking on The Nakash Khan Show, Munaf described Akhtar as “dimag se pagal”, crazy in the head, but in the most admiring way possible.

Munaf recalled how Akhtar, despite suffering from serious knee injuries, continued to bowl over 150 kmph for almost 15 years.

“Both his knees are damaged, he’s barely able to walk, yet he’s running in from outside the 30-yard circle. Only his madness could keep him going that long,” Munaf said.

He added that no one else could have shown that kind of obsession with fast bowling.

“An Asian bowler bowling 150 kmph for 14–15 years in those conditions is unbelievable. I guarantee no one will ever do that again. That guy is mentally insane,” he joked, calling it a mix of passion and madness that made Akhtar unique.

Munaf also spoke about Akhtar’s training intensity, saying the Rawalpindi Express would go to any limit to stay fit for bowling fast.

“If you told him that a certain kind of training would make him stronger, he’d just do it. That passion and madness were only in him. Both his knees were gone, but his speed still touched 155,” Munaf said.

The former Indian seamer said Akhtar’s longevity and energy remain unmatched, even in today’s era of fitness and technology.

“No one can do what Shoaib did in those conditions,” he concluded.