Afridi says Gambhir is not the friendliest, but an exception

India and Pakistan may be arch-rivals on the field, but off it they share a strong bond. This was revealed by former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi in his column for the ICC. Afridi, however, took a dig at Gautam Gambhir. “Contrary to popular belief, India and Pakistan players get along very well. Of course, there are exceptions like Gautam Gambhir, who dare I say isn’t the friendliest,” wrote Afridi.

Gambhir and Afridi had a heated on-field exchange during an India versus Pakistan clash in the third ODI in Kanpur in 2007.

“We are unlikely to be found together at a coffee shop anytime soon. We had a heated exchange on the field some years ago and it made headlines all over the world. While I have moved on in life as I feel these things are part and parcel of the game, Gautam for some reason can’t get over it. Good luck to him!” wrote Afridi.

Afridi said he shares good relationship with Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan.

“The three are my good mates and we have some wonderful memories together from the times when both the sides used to play and tour each other on a regular basis.

“In the early days of our careers we used to hang out time at each other’s homes. Now, all of us are married and, as such, responsibilities and the priority lists have changed,” Afridi added.

Afridi hailed India skipper Virat Kohli’s fitness and batting abilities. Last month, the Indian team presented Afridi a jersey with Virat’s name and jersey number on it.

Afridi recalled the moment when he hosted the Indian team at his Karachi house.

“I recall during one of India’s tours to Pakistan I invited the entire India team to my Karachi house. We prepared special Pathan-style rich food, full of lamb and mutton dishes. When the food was served there was a my Indian friends were looking at each other. At that point, I realised that my honourable and respectable guests don’t eat that type of food. Quite a few of them were vegetarians, and so, we had to urgently replace the food with dal (lentils) and vegetable dishes. It was quite embarrassing for me to not know about the dietary requirements of the guests since our similarity of culture made me take many things for granted.

“That was a funny memory of my ‘hospitality’ for the Indian