Inzamam – Ul – Haq On Team India:
Inzamam-ul-Haq, former Pakistan captain and chief selector said that the difference between Pakistan and India during his playing days was that Indian batsmen would play to secure their place on the side, while Pakistan batsmen played for the team, not individual records, as they always had the help of their captain, particularly under Imran Khan.
At a talk show hosted by former Pakistan teammate Ramiz Raja on his Youtube channel, Ramiz asked about Pakistan players who are very talented, but also too afraid of failure, so that the team will always have to find a way back from near impossible situations.
In response to this, Inzamam said that if players think on a series-by-series scenario and if they succeed in one, they will have their spot, and if they fail they will be dropped, in this way they will never be able to play to their full potential.
He talked about how, after one or two bad series Imran Khan would never drop players and how that helped them to play better back then.
In an attempt to highlight that point, he made a comparison with India.
“India had a really strong batting line-up during our time than we did on paper, Our record as batsmen wasn’t better than theirs. But if one of us even made 30-40 runs, we made it for the team. If an Indian player scored a century, it wouldn’t be for the team, he’d be playing for himself. That made a difference,” said the former Pakistan captain.
“Now our players are scared to risk their spot, They believe they have just one or two innings to make their impact, but they don’t know what the team wants,” he said.
“That’s why, if the captain and coach are on the same page, they will offer players a sense of security and trust to perform on the needs of the team,” Inzamam said.
