When Shashi Tharoor bumped into Shoaib Akhtar at Dubai Airport; here's what happened next

It is common for celebrities, politicians and eminent personalities to bump into each other at airports now and then. What follows is a small hug or, if time allows, a selfie or two. In a similar case, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor recently ran across former Pakistan cricketer and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar at Dubai Airport as the former had to catch his connecting flight to Delhi. The duo clicked a selfie and Tharoor shared it on Twitter. He expressed admiration for the 47-year-old former cricketer, calling him a “smart and engaging man” with plenty of fans in India.

The brief encounter

Tharoor admitted to being ‘pleasantly surprised’ when Shoaib Akhtar, who goes by @shoaib100mph on Twitter greeted with a ‘hello’. Moreover, he highlighted sharing ‘a good conversation about (inevitably) India, Pakistan and cricket,’ as the two praised each other. He also shared how ‘all the Indians who came up to greet me wanted selfies with him too.’ The senior politician was in England to attend a literature festival.

Check out the post:

On my way back to Delhi via Dubai, was pleasantly surprised when @shoaib100mph said hello. What a smart & engaging young man the tearaway fast bowler is! He has plenty of fans on our side of the border: all the Indians who came up to greet me wanted selfies with him too. Had a… pic.twitter.com/4WZl8V1rbN

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 26, 2023

To which, the former cricketer replied: “What a pleasure running into you Shashi ji.”

Check out the post:

What a pleasure running into you Shashi ji. https://t.co/odekytRrDm

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) June 27, 2023

While the comments section is filled with lovely words for both, users couldn’t help but point out their striking resemblance. The post amassed over 6.8 lakh views. Twitter users expressed their emotions through comments on the post.

Check out the comments:

One user commented: “Divided by border united by hair style.”

Divided by border united by hair style.

— Naveen (@_naveenish) June 26, 2023

Another user commented: “You both can pass off as brothers with the hairstyle, looks and all.”

You both can pass off as brothers with the hairstyle, looks and all

— Punter (@im_Punter) June 26, 2023

“English bouncer with cricket bouncer,” wrote a third.

english bouncer with cricket bouncer

— Manish (@manishp08521185) June 26, 2023

While on Shoaib Akhtar’s post, users from both the countries expressed joy at spotting them together.

One user commented: “No words can describe the happiness I felt seeing both of you in the same frame.”

No words can describe the happiness I felt seeing both of you in the same frame.

— Taslim Arif ………