'Dil kiya ki chachu ko bolu, 'meri kya galti thi?'': Imam-ul-Haq makes honest admission on comparisons with Inzamam
Imam-ul-Haq opens up on consistent comparisons with his uncle Inzamam during the opening phase of former's international career.
Pakistan's star opener Imam-ul-Haq has produced consistent performances for the side, especially in the longest format of the game. In the recently-concluded 1st Test against New Zealand, Imam scored an important 96-run knock in the second innings that steered Pakistan's revival in the game, as it eventually ended in a draw in Karachi. Imam has represented the national team in 19 Tests and 54 ODIs so far.
It wasn't an easy start for the Pakistan opener in his international career however; being a nephew of the country's legendary former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, the expectations were high from Imam. And the 27-year-old star opener has no opened up on the pressure of expectations and how he handled them throughout the initial phase of his career.
Imam also admitted that sometimes, he felt like going to Inzamam and open up on his frustrations on being compared to the Pakistan great.
“Sach batau ko dil kaafi dafa kiya hai ki chachu ko bolu 'meri kya galti thi' (If I'm being honest, I felt I should tell chachu (Inzamam), ‘what was my mistake?’),” Imam said in an interview with Pakistan Cricket.
“But some things come unwanted in your life. People say that I handled it well, but I actually didn't. I just went with the flow because I had no other option. I came after a long process as well; I played two U19 World Cups, played in 45 first-class matches and had an average of 50 in the Qaid-e-Azam trophy when I was first picked in the team.”
The Pakistan opener also thanked Babar Azam, the side's captain, for providing continual support during the initial phase of his career.
“Initially, I couldn't handle the pressure and I won't lie. I didn't know what to do. And I would like to mention Babar here. He played a very big role in supporting me. We played a lot of cricket together. And it was vice-versa, if he had doubts, we used to discuss them as well. In my family, we are all fighters and we don't give up easily. So I kept on putting the hard work and I had good people around me,” said Imam.
