The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Intikhab's love affair continues... on this side of the border

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 13, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Intikhab's love affair continues... on this side of the border

By S. Dinakar

CHENNAI, DEC. 12. Intikhab Alam has watched time waltz by — different faces, different eras and different feats.

He is a burly man with eyes that reflect a passion for the game and a disarming smile that speaks for the warm side of his personality.

He has witnessed from close quarters Imran Khan and Javed Miandad grow into legends, seen Sunil Gavaskar at the peak of his powers, watched Sachin Tendulkar take his first steps in international cricket and also easily comprehends the nuances of Anil Kumble's art.

Intikhab played some fine cricket himself, as a leg-spinner and a hard-hitting batsman, captained Pakistan and then coached the side to a World Cup triumph in '92.

The 62-year-old Intikhab's enduring bond with the game continues, and the man with 125 wickets and 1493 runs in 47 Tests is guiding the Punjab Ranji team in its present campaign.

At Chepauk on Sunday, ahead of Punjab's clash against Tamil Nadu, he provided the boys a pep talk during a team meeting in the heart of the arena, before sharing his thoughts with The Hindu.

He is convinced that sports is a wonderful medium to bring India and Pakistan closer.

"There has always been love and affection between the people of the two nations. There has been a lot of goodwill of late and we are moving in the right direction," Intikhab says.

Interestingly, Intikhab was the Pakistan coach when Tendulkar made his debut on the international arena as a 16-year-old in 1989. "This young guy had exceptional ability. But I have seen a lot of people with ability but they never made it big. You have two people with the same ability: one succeeds while the other doesn't. The difference is, Tendulkar is very focussed and enjoys what he does. His enthusiasm is only increasing."

Intikhab was not willing to be drawn into a comparison between Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, who are presently level with 34 Test hundreds. He, however, points out: "During Gavaskar's time, there were more quality bowlers and batsmen. In general, there was more quality in cricket then. I do not want to take anything away from Tendulkar, but this is true."

The former Pakistan skipper then spoke about Kumble, who surpassed Kapil Dev's Indian mark of 434 Test wickets in Dhaka recently. "He doesn't say much off the field, but says much while bowling. He is disciplined, looks after himself and as a bowler, he is coming at you all the time. He just doesn't give up."

From rookie to remarkable leader

Intikhab says Pakistan has to be patient during this re-building phase — "In cricket, you often see the wheel turning the other way after every 10 years."

He recalls captaining Pakistan to England in the beginning of the 70s, with a wayward rookie paceman possessing a funny action. In the years to come, Imran Khan would develop into a great all-rounder and a leader.

"He was very straightforward, disciplined and aggressive, and would refuse to think in a negative manner. He was slightly shy when it came to mixing with people but was not arrogant. He led by example," said Intikhab.

Pakistan's win in the '92 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where the side was pushed to the wall before regrouping and conquering the peak, remains Intikhab's career highlight — "Teams might peak too early or too late but we peaked at the right time."

He has fond memories of Javed Miandad standing behind the nets in shorts and studying the finer aspects of the game in Karachi during the early 70s. "He had so much passion for the game. He was a great fighter and a team man."

Soon, Intikhab is off in the Punjab team van. His love affair with cricket continues... on the other side of the border.

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