Playing against India will be a dream come true moment for Imam-ul-Haq

Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq started his international career amidst a lot of criticism since he is the chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq’s nephew. There was also a lot of pressure on him to prove his worth in the team but it didn’t matter after he played his debut match. The opening batsman scored a hundred against Sri Lanka and ensured Pakistan an easy win in the 3rd ODI. In his Test debut against Ireland, he played a knock of 74 runs in the second innings that pulled the team out of troubles and helped them win the match in really tough batting conditions.

Since then he has played 9 ODIs and three Tests has four hundreds in 50-overs cricket. Imam is thus a certain starter in the team now and is extremely excited about going into the Asia Cup where they will face India. It will be his first encounter against the arch-rivals and left-hander said it is a dream come true moment as he got into cricket to produce a memorable performance against the neighbours.

Dream to play against India

“It was my dream to play against India. I had thought a lot about it, in fact, started playing cricket to play against India and do something special, all players think the same,” Imam said while talking to Zainab Abbas on the show Voice of Cricket.

Team India’s dependence on Kohli

He also highlighted the point that the Indian team is heavily reliant on their captain Virat Kohli and without him, they look half the side. “India is a top team and the man who sets standards for them is Virat Kohli. If you keep him aside, the Indian team will be reduced to 50%,” Imam further said.

Talking about the contest in the Asia Cup, the 22-year-old added, “It will be fun, it’s gonna be a pressure match, but let’s hope for the best.  We want to play positive and aggressive cricket against India.”

Every match is important

The head coach of the Pakistani team Mickey Arthur has been working hard with the youngsters and trying to drill the point into them that the opposition isn’t important but what they deliver on the field is. Imam said their focus is on going out there and performing to the best of their abilities irrespective of the opponent.

“The coach and team management have been trying to make all the players understand that they need to play their game irrespective of the opposition. We have to follow just one strategy, deliver what we are good at. Mickey Arthur tries to convey it to the youngsters that as bowlers you have to bowl well and batsmen have to bat and field to the best of their abilities,” he stated.

Here is the video of the interview:

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