THE MOST Influential Cricketer of All Times!. Review on Imran Khan

As per my opinion Imran Khan is the best captain ever produced by the game of cricket. He is among the few players that understood all the aspects of the game very well. As an individual his performance with the ball was just fascinating. He got his wickets at an amazing strike-rate. It won't reflect in his overall stats that well as his last few tests he was extending his career & didn't bowl much or at full throttle. He was highly injury prone though; many times he was out of action for years due to his serious injuries.

As a bowler his in-swinger was his biggest weapon, I think even Muthaiah Muradhiran would find it difficult to turn the ball so much as Imran used to swing in. His bowling runup/action was a wonderful display which inspired (like Kapil) you to bowl like him. His acute observation also helped him judge batsmen's weaknesses. Dispite of high jump in the last stride he used to find his rhythm in no time. His bouncer also was simple 'pure'. The incoming bouncer used to trouble the best of the best during his peak days. His batting was though not that natural but he made it up with his hard-work & serious approach unlike Kapil who was better batsman than Sadeep Patil or many others but never took it seriously (too obver-worked by bowling). Imran has played a very crucial role in many games with his bat.

His accomplishments as a captain are just countless. Won several series against powerful cricketing nations. Won tests against WI in WI when they were in full flow. Won against England, won against Australia & also India in India. Won Nehru Cup in 87? in India, Won the 91 world cup.

If someone collects his opinions & statements he made over the years it could very well be the gospel as far as cricket goes. I just can't forget whatever I have heard him comment about a specific player or cricket in general. His recent comparison of Zaheer Khan's action & Irfan Pathan's action was worth a million dollar!! (High jump bowlers need to make sure they practice & are in rhythm so that their hand is in optimal position while delivering the ball. Zaheer would need more effort to get rhythm than Irfan as Irfan doesn't jump. On the other hand Zaheer would get more from the wicket if Zaheer & Irfan are bowling with the same rhythm. Similarly, Zaheer would be more injury prone due to his action like Imran, Dennis L, Hadlee unlike Irfan who is more likely (arm action). He was the first person to note that Inzamam has more time than Lara/Sachin when it comes to fast bowlers.

He made several players what they were! Akram & Waqar couldn't have been that effective if not for Imran. Heck, even Salim Jafar performed well under his captaincy! Ask Abdul Quadir & he will tell you how Imran's confidence in him & his fielding placements helped him win games for Pakistan. He gave his best under Imran's captaincy. Akram before Imran was a good bowler but was sort of an also-ran. When Imran came & took over the difference in Akram was phenomenal as Gavaskar has explained in some of his articles. Javed got Akram in but it was Imran who was the catalyst needed for the great player like Akram.

To give a parallel from Ramayana, the way Veer Hanuman wasn't aware of his capability & Jambuwant needed to make him realize what he was capable of, in the same way countless players have performed magically well under Imran than any other captain. Other examples are Inzamam-Ul-Haq & Mushtak Ahmed & Salim Malik too. Mushtak couldn't perform in the same manner after Imran retired. Imran virtually made Waqar. If you remember, Imran finished Waqar's 10 overs in first 19 overs in the 87(?) Nehru Cup Final against WI. He was not that big a name that time & was slogged in the final overs in previous games! He protected him & nurtured him & everyone knows the result.

Imran's overall authority & the respect he used & still commands is just hard to believe! He is 'the' final word in the Pakistan cricket still today. There were several times when he ordered even the senior-most players like Javed to go on the boundary line/third man after they dropped a catch in the slips! Last year in Sept, I had a chance to meet with Vivek Rajdan, he had several memories from his Pakistan tour about how atmosphere used to change when Imran used to be around. It was fascinating to hear about all the occasions of his influence on players from the both sides. Imran was prob'ly the most charismatic player/captain to come from the cricketing world. Today's captains would do better to look in his work & methods instead of reinventing the wheel.

However, he was a bit dictatorial at times & even senior members used to fear him. Someone opposing him couldn?t sustain his wrath & was thrown out of the mainstream in Pak cricket. The fact that Gen Zia requested him to come out of retirement & lead Pak again approved his authority or dictatorial at times methods. Sarfaraj (a loud mouth himself) was finished due to his issues with Imran (& also others)

Gavaskar accused that Imran along with others manipulated balls & umpire decisions in the 80s. Gavaskar also remembers Imran going 6 inches out side the crease & even then not been given no-ball in Pakistan. Recently he had said that all fast bowlers used to temper the ball a little. Kapil did rebut this with a statement that he NEVER tempered the ball. Some accusations against him & Pak bowlers were from the British media & not entirely in the true spirit but there was a little doubt about some of the things like ball tempering. I think Pakistan (Akram/Waqar) would have won the games despite of reverse swing anyways.

But, he never minded to be controversial when needed. Unlike Sachin who avoids controversy at any cost or even when it is needed (In my opinion) Imran was never worried of any controversy that he would generate. He was blunt & arrogant when needed.

Imran valued personal integrity & discipline more than anything else on the cricket ground. He was always in news on/off the field due to his relationships & affairs. His latest stint as a politician though not as good as one in cricket is still going well.

He was able to raise money after his team's world cup win in 92 & was able to succeed in getting a cancer hospital up & running. He made services available to common man at a reasonable expense. He has mentioned that the kind of joy & satisfaction he got after completing this project nothing comes as close, not even the achievements on the cricket ground. Again, he was criticized (by Salim Malik & media) of forgetting to mention his team-mates after the victory! But before the final itself he had said that 'My boys have fought like tigers & I am really proud of them, the outcome of the final wouldn't change that'.

Imran..TUSSSI GREEEAT HO!! I hope Indian cricket also gets an Imran sometime soon I know it is dfficult to get an Imran in India due to diverse background & cultures, frame of mind in almost every state but still..!