'Felt like asking him, 'What is my mistake?'' - Imam-ul-Haq on 'unwanted' comparisons with uncle Inzamam

Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq has said that he once wanted to ask uncle Inzamam-ul-Haq about the unnecessary comparisons that are made between him and the latter. Imam admitted that he had to go through frustration during the initial phase of his career due to the same reason.

The 27-year-old has said that he was under a tremendous pressure as people had plenty of expectations from him given he is Inzamam’s nephew. Imam also mentioned that his selection in the national team came after toiling hard at the domestic level and not by anyone's influence.

“If I'm being honest, I felt I should tell chachu (Inzamam), ‘what was my mistake?’,“ said Imam while speaking to Pakistan Cricket. “But some things come unwanted in your life. People say that I handled it well, but I actually didn't. I just went with the flow because I had no other option. I came after a long process as well; I played two U19 World Cups, played in 45 first-class matches and had an average of 50 in the Qaid-e-Azam trophy when I was first picked in the team."

The southpaw also thanked Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for giving him moral support early in his career. 

“Initially, I couldn't handle the pressure and I won't lie. I didn't know what to do. And I would like to mention Babar here. He played a very big role in supporting me. We played a lot of cricket together. And it was vice-versa, if he had doubts, we used to discuss them as well. In my family, we are all fighters and we don't give up easily. So I kept on putting the hard work and I had good people around me,” said Imam.