Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq recalled on the times Pakistan dominated over India in the early 90s before the latter turned things around. Inzamam, who was an integral part of that side which beat Indian on multiple occasions, said that although the Indian batting was always strong on paper, the handy contributions of Pakistan’s batsman made the difference and helped Pakistan topple India consistently. Inzamam, who currently serves as the chief selector of the Pakistan national cricket team was speaking with Ramiz Raja on the latter's YouTube show when he pointed out the difference between Indian and Pakistani batsmen during a period when the latter dominated Indian in the international circuit. Pakistan’s Tour of the Netherlands in July Postponed Indefinitely Amid COVID-19 Pandemic.

“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 said during the chat show. Wasim Akram, Zaheer Khan Played Important Roles in Shaping My Career, Says Mohammed Shami.

Inzamam-ul-Haq Speaks on India vs Pakistan Matches

The 50-year-old also praised World Cup-inning captain and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for his ability to back players and get the best out of them. Khan was not very astute tactically but compensated it with his trust and faith in the players and backed them to come good. Inzamam revealed how during the 1992 World Cup campaign Imran Khan kept on backing him despite his string of low scores.

“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,” he said. “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,” Inzamam further added.

The right-handed batsman eventually came good and played a match-winning knock against New Zealand with 60 off just 37 deliveries bringing Pakistan back into the match. Then in the final against England, Inzamam contributed with 42 runs from 53 deliveries as Pakistan won their maiden and only World Cup title.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2020 10:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).