Indian cricket coach terms Imran Khan ‘one of the greatest captains of all time’

• Imran Khan was a great skipper and cricketer, says India's head coach. 
• He was the best all-rounder of his time, he says.
• No rocket science is needed to understand why am I declaring him one of the greatest cricketers of all-time, he says. 

ISLAMABAD: Praising cricketer-turned-politician and current Prime Minister of Pakistan – Imran Khan – Indian cricket team’s head coach Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri has declared him one of the "greatest captains" of all time.

In his recently released book titled “Stargazing: The Players in My Life”, Shastri revealed, “Imran Khan is one of the greatest captains and players the game has seen."

No rocket science is needed to understand why am I declaring him one of the greatest cricketers of all time,” he said.

The Indian coach explained, "Why I hold this view hardly needs qualification. His records speak of itself and if at all further validation is necessary, it comes from the experience of those who played with or against him.”

Talking about Imran Khan's achievements in his cricket career, Shastri said that Imran Khan’s record speak for itself.

"If further validation is needed, then the experiences of those who played with and against Khan would come in handy as well," he added.

“I saw Imran Khan playing on the television for the first time in 1978 when the Indian cricket team visited Pakistan,” he wrote in his book.

The author added, “When Pakistan came to India the next season, I made sure to get a place in the North Stand at the Wankhede Stadium. Imran’s strength was his remarkable control over swing and reverse swing. The steeply curving late swingers or ‘indippers’ as they were called then, made life hellish for batsmen.”

“His control on swing bowling had made the lives of batsmen hell,” he wrote while sharing his memories in the book. He was the best all-rounder of his time, Shastri added.

The Indian coach also paid rich tributes to Imran Khan and labelled him as the best batsman among the four great all-rounders of his time.

“Among the four great all-rounders of that era, Imran was the best batsman, technically and temperamentally, according to the situation demanded,” wrote Shastri.

I climbed stadium fence to see Imran Khan in action: PCB CEO

Earlier in July, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Executive Officer Wasim Khan had shared an interesting anecdote from his younger days, saying that back in 1982, he had climbed the fence of Edgbaston cricket stadium to see his favourite cricketers Imran Khan and Mohsin Khan in action.

In an exclusive interview with Geo News in his home town Birmingham, Wasim Khan had added: “I climbed the fence of Edgbaston because I didn’t have the ticket for that match.”

“Kids do that sort of thing and I was no exception either. I was a 12 year old from inner-city Birmingham so I, and a couple of other friends, climbed the fence and went inside the stadium to watch the match and support Pakistan,” he had added.

Responding to a question, he had said: “I played for England under 19 and was part of the 1995 Warwickshire squad that won the championship double, sharing dressing room with players like Donald and Pollock, and nobody can take those achievements away from me.”