Former Pakistan captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, during a recent interaction, recalled his cricketing days at the highest level, when Pakistan had the better of India in all formats.
During the 80s, 90s and early 2000, Pakistan had a better record against India when compared to their dismal performances of-late.
According to Inzy, Pakistan batters, despite facing a more potent Indian lineup, matched better as they played for the team, unlike the Indian batters who played for themselves.
“When we played against India, their batting was more powerful than us on paper. But even our batsmen scored 30 or 40 runs, it was for the team, but for India, even if they scored 100 runs, they played for themselves. So, that was the difference between the two sides,” Inzamam told Rameez Raja.
During the golden period of Pakistan cricket, the ‘Men in Green’ always found a way to trump the Indian team in both whites as well as coloured clothing.
Looking back at his performances in the 1992 World Cup in Australia, Inzamam heaped praises for Imran Khan’s captaincy. Inzamam was instrumental for Pakistan’s win in the matches against New Zealand and England.
“Imran (bhai) was not a very technical captain, but he knew how to get the most out of his players. He backed the young players, he backed the players he believed in and this made him a great captain,” said the former PCB’s chief selector.
The Multan-born came into the international reckoning through his breezy knock of 60 off just 37 balls against New Zealand. Also, Haq made a crucial knock of 42 in the finals against England, which helped Pakistan clinch their maiden World Cup title.
“He would not drop any player if he failed in one series as he believed in giving the player a long rope and this the biggest reason why everyone in the side respected him so much,” concluded Inzamam.
