Pak cricketer Shoaib Akhtar carried Sonali Bendre's photo in his wallet, wanted to kidnap her (Throwback)

Shoaib Akhtar is a man who needs no introductions. From his sensational balling on the field to his unfiltered statements off it, the 'Rawalpindi Express' never ceased to remain in the headlines. While the man made many women and girls go weak in their knees, it was our Indian beauty, Sonali Bendre, who took away his heart.

Yes, you read it right. Shoaib was madly-in-love with Sonali Bendre ever since he had seen her in the film - English Babu Desi Mem. As per a report in Economic Times, the cricketer had revealed in a chat show that he used to carry Sonali's photo in his wallet and also had many of her posters in his room. Not just that, the cricketer also revealed that if Sonali refuses his proposal, he would have to kidnap her then.

When Sonali was being asked about Shoaib's obsession with her, the actress had said, "I don't know any Pakistani cricketer named Shoaib Akhtar as I'm not a cricket fan at all. It's funny that every time India plays Pakistan, the media swamps me with calls to find out about him. I've heard he's my fan. All I can say is I'm thankful for that."

Actress Sonali Bendre is currently in India after completing her chemotherapies for her high-grade metastatic cancer in New York. She had discovered her illness only after reaching a critical stage in July, last year. " There is pain and you go through it and it is hard. The toughest part was the post the surgery. I have a scar which is 20 inches in the midriff. My sister hugged me when I was going, I said don't be dramatic, I'm coming back. I think it was love that took me through it. We have to love ourselves to get through this. It was love that saw me through. For me spirituality is to love," the actress said at the India Today Conclave 2019.