I wish I had Sachin Tendulkar's hunger: Inzamam-ul-Haq

[Akash_Cric]

New Delhi: Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, has termed Sachin Tendulkar as a role model for cricketers around the world, both on and off the field, and admitted that the master batsman's hunger for runs was a trait he wished he could have made his own. "'Whenever Sachin scores a hundred100, India loses!' I have heard this many a time whenever India has failed to win a match despite his major contribution. It's a myth, pure myth. The Ahmedabad ODI [in 2005, which Pakistan won by three wickets off the last ball] also falls in this category. He did his job to perfection. If India still lost from that position it was the bowlers' fault, not Sachin's. The same thing happened in the 2011 World Cup against England, when Sachin scored a brilliant hundred yet India could not win [the match was tied]. Again, it was not Sachin's fault but the bowlers," said Inzamam in IBN 7 reporter Vimal Kumar's recently released book on Tendulkar, Sachin: Cricketer of the Century. "I distinctly remember that match since I got the Man-of-the-Match award because we won. Perhaps I was standing alone in a crucial run chase so I got the credit. But, it is unfair to deny Sachin his credit for scoring a marvelous ton and putting his team in such a strong position to win the match. Any batsman can do as much and he has done it umpteen times. If critics can still find fault with his game, good luck to them!" VideoPhotoGallery The former Pakistan captain revealed his admiration for Tendulkar in a recent book, Sachin: Cricketer of the Century, by IBN7 reporter Vimal Kumar. Inzamam, who played 67 ODIs against India in which he scored 2403 runs at 43.69, said he regarded Tendulkar as better than himself and two contemporary leading batsmen of their era, the Australian pair of Ricky Ponting and Mark Waugh. "Sachin was always better than me, Ricky Ponting or Mark Waugh, the guys who have been compared with him in his illustrious career. Sachin has proved through his records and performances over 20 years that he may have been compared with so many players but he is the best," said the 43-year-old. Reflecting on his time observing Tendulkar on and off the field, Inzamam regarded the batsman's drive to keep scoring runs at the highest level. "Sachin's hunger for runs is incredible. If ever I wanted one quality from Sachin's game, it had to be his hunger. I am a great admirer of Brian Lara and Ponting. Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden are also in my all-time-best list. It is not fair to slot Sachin as No. 1, 2 or 3 among the batsmen I have mentioned, but certainly his records and performances stand out," he said. "In the 2005 ODI series against us, he was very successful as a bowler [seven wickets in six matches] and the second-best Indian bowler after Ashish Nehra's 11 wickets, and once quipped that if he could get as many runs as his wickets, India would have won the match. The ability to laugh at his own batting when he was not in the greatest of the nick [he scored 145 runs in six innings, 123 of which were scored in one match]) was an admirable trait. He is so famous and yet grounded, making him an exceptional cricketer. Modern cricketers should not only emulate his game but his behaviour off the field." Inzamam also made a mention of the support Tendulkar received from several other leading Indian batsmen of the modern era, whom he felt helped Tendulkar from being a one-man show to a batsman who could flourish further with more batting team-mates delivering consistently. "Sachin's career got a major boost with the emergence of stalwarts like Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and especially Virender Sehwag. In the early 1990s Sachin often played solo and he needed a partner. Cricket is a team game," said Inzamam. "Australia's staggering success in recent years has not been built around one exceptional batsman - Ricky Ponting. They had so many great players coming together at the same time. The same thing happened with India when other match-winners came on the scene to support Sachin's brilliance." Asked to recall his most memorable Tendulker innings, Inzamam singled out four, of which two came against Pakistan. "His 98 in Centurion in the 2003 World Cup is one of the best batting displays I have ever seen in cricket. His 136 in Chennai in 1999 was made on a very difficult wicket. His 'Desert Storm' hundred against Australia [at Sharjah in 1998] are my favourite as a neutral observer." http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cricketnext/i-wish-i-had-sachin-tendulkars-hunger-inzamamulhaq/383138-78.html

[Akash_Cric]

Good to see mutual respect between rivals. If only all Paki fans were as classy as Inzy.

[Jersey #10]

Is that a title or an essay? Oh look...now you have $800ICF

[Akash_Cric]

Oh, i have no idea what happened to the title sorry. This was the title "I wish I had Sachin Tendulkar's hunger": Inzamam-ul-Haq

[Magneto]

Oh, i have no idea what happened to the title sorry. This was the title "I wish I had Sachin Tendulkar's hunger": Inzamam-ul-Haq

Inzi's hunger was good enough for his weight. With more, he would have had to be carried to the field on a stretcher.

[Sachin=GOD]

TFS.

[vvvslaxman]

lol hunger. You had enough hunger Inzi

[saneindian]

Respect for Inzi. Contrast this with what that loser Akhtar wrote in his book.

[Junyfan]

Respect for Inzi. Contrast this with what that loser Akhtar wrote in his book.

lol at those who take Akhtar words seriously,he changes his mind/stance per occurrence/event.indians should know that.

[Texan]

If he had Sachin Tendulkar's hunger, then he would have been a lot thinner :winky:

[vayuu1]

lol hunger. You had enough hunger Inzi

:omg:

[Raghav_12]

Excellent observations by Inzi.. TFS

[CSK Fan]

He is respected everywhere around the world except by some very shameless Indians

[JaFanatic]

He is respected everywhere around the world except by some very shameless Indians

he scores runs, centuries.....he is selfish :dontknow:

[kubrickian]

he scores runs' date=' centuries.....he is selfish :dontknow:[/quote'] Do they expect him to take 20 wickets to win matches also ? Retarded people. :hysterical:

[Raghav_12]

He is respected everywhere around the world except by some very shameless Indians

the way some posters before your post deliberately chose to ignore what inzi had to say about greatness of sachin and rather took swipe at his "hunger" conveys their love for Sachin.

[Sachin=GOD]

Do they expect him to take 20 wickets to win matches also ? Retarded people. :hysterical:

not only that, I think they also expect him to take all the catches as well................and even after if India doesn't win, they will blame him :giggle:

[panther]

Wise words from Inzi