Intikhab breaks new ground

By Asit Jolly
BBC, Mohali

Mohali is much like my home, Lahore. I do not feel I am a foreign coach here Intikhab Alam

Already one of the top state cricket teams in India, the Punjab Cricket Association has decided to fine-tune its players' skills by hiring Pakistan's former captain Intikhab Alam as team manager.

On the face of it, this would not be a hugely significant event, although the fact that Intikhab was coach for Pakistan when they won the 1992 World Cup lends him a fine pedigree.

But it so happens this is the first time that a Pakistani will be coaching any sporting team in India, the Government having taken the unprecedented step of granting an unrestricted visa to Initkhab.

Welcoming Intikhab to Mohali, PCA President Inderjit Singh Bindra said one of the main reasons for hiring the 62-year-old was that he could speak and communicate with the Punjab players in their own language

Intikhab, born in the town of Hoshiarpur in what is now Indian Punjab, said he was "basically a Punjabi" and it would help a great deal that he shared the same culture and food-habits as the players he would coach.

Visibly delighted with his new job, the veteran of 47 Tests said his first priority would be to get to know the players and acquaint himself with each individual's requirements.

Describing the PCA's decision to hire him as "a step in the right direction," Intikhab said both India and Pakistan had a great deal of undiscovered cricketing talent.

Such collaborations could prove very significant for the future of international cricket, he added.

He said: "Mohali is much like my home, Lahore. Not for a moment do I get the feeling that I am a foreign coach here."

The Mohali ground will be Intikhab's home for the time being

Comparing the job of coaching players for first-class cricket to that of an observant psychologist, he added: "It is important to observe and correct players' mistakes at a relatively young age.

"Otherwise they can evolve into hard-to-kill habits. There is simply no place for being number two, you have got to be number one."

Intikhab is strongly in favour of more Pakistan v India series, after the huge success of the matches earlier this year.

He said: "Keeping politics apart it makes great business sense for the two nations to play more cricket."

He also suggested the revival of the annual tournament between India's premier Ranji Trophy finalists and the winners of Pakistan's Quaid-e-azam Cup.

That would mean the best non-international players in the two countries would be compete against each other.

And he also feels the time is right to initiate club and school level cricket matches between India and Pakistan.