Dhaka, March 26: While fans across India and Pakistan would be more interested in the outcome of the high-voltage clash in Mohali next week, legendary batsman Hanif Mohammad is happy to see both sides playing a game of cricket.
"It was getting so frustrating. Neither is the Indian team visiting Pakistan nor are our boys touring India. The very fact that they are playing each other is great news in itself," Mohammad, the original 'Little Master', now aged 76, told the Mumbai newspaper DNA from his Karachi residence on Friday.
Mohammad played 55 Tests for Pakistan between 1952 and 1969, scoring 3,915 runs at nearly 44. His 337 against the West Indies in Bridgetown, Barbados, was, at one point, the highest individual score in Test cricket. In fact, it lasted 970 minutes and is the longest innings in Test history.
A year later, Mohammad amassed 499 (run out) in a first-class game. That mountain was eclipsed 35 years later by a certain Brian Charles Lara who made 501.
Mohammad reckons India are favourites because they have a more experienced side. "Aapke paas duniya ka sabse mashoor batsman hai. Bradman ke baad itna bada batsman koi paida hi nahin hua hai (You have the world's most famous batsman. He's the best since Bradman)," he said, obviously referring to Sachin Tendulkar.
"Aapki team mein Sehwag bhi hai aur aapka kaptaan Dhoni bhi accha player hain (You also have Sehwag and a good skipper and player in Dhoni)," Mohammad, who played 15 Tests against India (he scored 970 runs), said. Mohammad also praised Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh.
He singled out Shahid Afridi and the experienced Younus Khan for special praise. "Yeh dono main player hai hamare. Afridi kaafi acchi bowling kar raha hai (These are our two main players. Afridi is bowling quite well these days)," Mohammad, who made his Test debut in New Delhi, said.
Mohammad feels whoever handles the pressure on that particular day will triumph. "India have the home advantage, crowd support and all that. It will be interesting to see what kind of wicket is dished out," he said, before recalling his good friends Vijay Manjrekar and Subhash Gupte.
Unfortunately, both Manjrekar and Gupte are no more, but Mohammad says Sunil Gavaskar is also a good pal of his.
Mohammad clarified that players of that era never ever abused their opponents. "Us zamane mein hum gaaliyaan nahin dete the (In those days, we never abused)."
All the eye-to-eye talk and mind games, he says, are products of new-age cricket. When asked if he'd visit Mohali for the game, Mohammad said, "Sorry janaab, I don't have an invitation. I will watch the match on my TV."
