Rajeev Kumar
Bhubaneswar, Dec 4: Adverse times are often the best times for great players. Pakistan skipper Muhammad Imran is a man on a mission to prove this statement true in the upcoming Champions Trophy.
Coming with a team which until a few days was not sure of participating in the tournament because of Pakistan Hockey Association’s financial crisis, the most experienced player of Pakistan wants to forget the past and leave an everlasting mark on the hockey fans of the state here at the Kalinga Stadium.
“I have come to India in the past. It feels to receive the hospitality of our friendly neighbours. But our focus now is only on hockey and doing well in the
tournament,” Imran said a few minutes after his side routed Argentina 3-0 in a practice match Wednesday.
However, the cautious skipper he is, Imran didn’t want to boast of the victory in a practice match. “This was just a practice match,” he said and added that the tournament ties will be far tougher than the practice games.
A veteran of 222 international matches, the 35-year-old Imran aims to take it one step at a time. He is not bogged down by queries related to competition with arch rivals India. “Our first target is to defeat the teams in our pool so that we can qualify for the knockouts. Rest is in the hands of God.”
Imran knows that Pakistan may have to face India in the quarters. “We may have to face each other in the quarterfinal. But our focus now is on the initial matches then we will think about the next phase. We will take India as just another team against whom we will be playing,” Imran was quick to add.
When they met last, India handed Pakistan a 4-2 drubbing in the final of the Asian Games in October. But Imran has put that behind him and calls it ‘history’. “This is a different tournament and a different environment,” said Imran. “But this is not an Asian tournament. Here the top teams are competing. So the challenges are more.”
During the Asian Games, Pakistan missed on many scoring opportunities, which cost them the tournament. Imran, however, is confident that they have rectified their weaknesses. “We had some weaknesses during the Asian Games. We missed a lot in front of the goalmouth. We have worked on those areas in the training camp and taken help of the coach.”
