BOMBAY, 1 April 2005 — Less than two months ago, he was badly cornered by critics, ex-players and even the officials who had once promoted him as captain. Today, he is the toast of entire Pakistan, having transformed not only his own image, but also that of a young, inexperienced cricket team that was hardly given any chance against their formidable neighbors.
Yes, the “Gentle Giant” has suddenly woken to a new status reserved for the country’s greatest sporting heroes. It is a new, vibrant and aggressive Inzamam ul-Haq that the cricketing world welcomes, in place of the shy and diffident persona that he carried for so long.
As a batsman, there wasn’t any doubt about his class, worthy of being counted among t the best in the game. But it is as a captain that ‘Inzi,” as he is fondly known, has carved out a new image in keeping with some of the greatest men like Imran Khan, Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad, who had led Pakistan. The tough tour of India and the magnificent victory in the third Test at Bangalore, to draw the Test series, may have gone a long way in transforming his own and his team’s fortunes after going through one of the most dismal phases for Pakistan cricket in two years.
The decline started in the 2003 World Cup and carried on wherever Pakistan played. Inzy’s record as captain was very poor, having lost seven of the last 10 Test matches. Victories were over teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. After a 3-0 thrashing in the Test series in Australia, the Pakistani captain’s head was on the chopping block. Imran Khan wanted him sacked. No captain had ever come under such scathing criticism. His inability to get along with the temperamental fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and his lack of communication with a couple of other senior players made matters worse.
One has to give it to the Pak cricket bosses that they stuck to him as their choice as captain. This may have been because it was an important tour of India that, in present times, carries significance far beyond cricket. Inzy may have had a poor record as captain, but he always carried a fine image as an excellent ambassador of goodwill for his country.
It wasn’t a very great side that Inzy took to India. Most people gave it little chance of victory over a team to whom they had lost both the Test and one-day series at home, less than a year ago. The attack was almost non-descript without the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and the batting generally inexperienced.
However, from the moment that they were able to thwart off a certain defeat in the first Test at Mohali, everything appeared to change for Inzy and his team. In Calcutta, the margin of defeat did little justice to the way the two teams fought out until the very last. India, having taken a 1-0 lead, were now back to drawing upon themselves the label of “favorites” to win the series.
The Pakistan team under an inspired leadership of Inzy turned the table so comprehensively and successfully on the home team. It is no exaggeration to say that the visitors dominated from the moment the captain won the toss. But for brief moments when Sehwag was at the crease, Pakistan were always on the attack. In the third Test, and one saw a ferocious Inzamam so hungry for success that he quickly shed his old goody-goody image to function like one possessed. Even those who knew him intimately could not believe their eyes, as he took such aggressive postures.
Apart from playing two substantial knocks, he handled his limited resources brilliantly to make the world’s strongest batting side to struggle and then submit meekly. The Pakistani captain’s new-found agro was seen in his feline movements and his vociferous support to his bowlers.
He went to the extent of demonstrating his involvement in no uncertain manner. His antics were considered intimidatory and defiant and he was penalized by the match-referee with one Test suspension and loss of 30 percent of his match-fees. “But who cares,” he and his players might have said after their tremendous victory.
