Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag who revolutionised Test cricket with his attacking approach has made a surprising statement. Sehwag has rated former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq as Asia’s best batter of his era. Sehwag feels Inzamam is a very underrated but he would not panic in pressure situations where the required run rate was getting out of hand. However, he feels legendary Sachin Tendulkar is in a league of his own and did not count him in the list led by Inzamam.
"Inzi bhai bahut sweet hai. Sab log baat karte hai Sachin Tendulkar ki lekin Inzamam-ul-Haq Asia ka middle-order ka sabse bada batsman main maanta hoon. Kyunki Tendulkar toh vo batsman ki league se upar he chale gaye hai, unko toh count he nahi karte hum (Inzi bhai was very, very sweet. Everyone talks about Sachin Tendulkar, but I believe that Inzamam-ul-Haq is the biggest middle-order batsman of Asia. It is because Tendulkar is beyond any league of batsmen. We don't count him among the batsmen),” Sehwag said on Breakfast with Champions.
“Jitne bhi aur desho ke ballebaaz aate hai middle-order ke, unmein unse better ballebaaz maine nahi dekha. Us zamane mein, 2003-04 mein vo 8 run ki average baatein karte the ki chinta mat kar aaram se bana lunga. 10 over mein 80 run koi aur team aur player panic kar jate he par vo kehte the ki bann jayenge chinta mat karo (He's not even counted among humans. The ones in between—whether the batter is from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, or Bangladesh—among them, I have not seen anyone better than him. At that time, in 2003 and 2004, at 8 runs per over, he used to say, ‘Don't worry. We'll score them easily.' I mean, with 80 runs in 10 overs, any other team would panic. Any other player would panic. He'd just say, ‘We'll do it. Don't worry),” the 44-year-old added.
The Multan-born batter scored 11,739 runs from 350 innings in ODI cricket at an average of 39.52 including 10 centuries and 83 half-centuries. In Test cricket, he scored 8,830 runs from 200 innings at an average of 49.60 including 25 centuries and 46 half-centuries. Inzamam who made his international debut in 1991 decided to hang his boots in 2007.
MORE ON SPORTSTAK
Ireland's Mark Adair takes 'Bazball' approach against England, smashes 76-ball 88 at Lord's
