Shoaib's day out with 'special' children

LUCKNOW: While most of the Indian and Pakistani cricketers preferred to remain confined to their hotel rooms, speedster Shoaib Akhtar planned his day out with 'special' children.

Akhtar visited the Chetna Institute for mentally challenged, deaf and dumb students in Aliganj area but was disappointed by the huge media presence which made it difficult for him to reach out to the children.

As soon as Akhtar entered the institute, shutterbugs crowded around him to capture every movement of the bowler.

Some of the students started crying after they could not reach Akthar despite standing for hours with flowers to greet him.

"I wanted to talk to Akhtar but I could hardly see him," complained one of the students, Kshitij Keserwani.

Akhtar was somehow escorted to the playground, where he distributed sweets to children, who could hardly manage to reach him through a group photographers.

The Rawalpindi Express, however, made an effort to reach out to the children for an interaction during which one child told him that he had pain in his knees.

The injury-prone Akhtar tried to console the child, saying that he too had a knee pain.

He also played arm wrestling with one of the students of the institute and posed before the lensmen.

Akhtar said he was associated with charity, which gives him satisfaction and it was his moral responsibility.

"I don't care how media portrays me. Those who know me are aware what kind of person I am. I think its my social responsibility to do something for such children," Akhtar said.