By N D Prashant/Doha

 

After being under the shadow of renowned Pakistan forward Rehan Butt for years, kid brother Imran Butt is happy that he has been able to break that barrier and etch an identity of his own.

“People only knew me as Rehan Butt’s brother. I still remember when I came here in Doha in 2006-2007 with the PIA team people came and spoke to me as I was Rehan’s brother. I was getting all the attention because of Rehan and not for my game,” recollects Imran, who is currently Pakistan’s No 1 goalkeeper.

With brother Rehan having led the Pakistan side and already cemented a place in world hockey, Imran was under the scanner ever since he picked up the sport of hockey.

“If you think that this identity would have helped me by any chance then you are wrong. Being Rehan’s brother put my under scrutiny straight away and it is not easy for two bothers from the same family to get into the national team.

“I was lucky to play under him (Rehan) also but he is a huge name in hockey. I also wanted to have my own identity. Everyone wants to have an identity of his own, isn’t it? So did I,” asserts Imran.

After going through the grind and waiting in the wings for years, Imran’s breakthrough came in the recently concluded Champions Trophy. He was simply rock solid under the bar and due to his consistent performance, Pakistan managed to pocket a bronze for the first time in eight years beating India 3-2 in a tense third-place battle.

“Champions Trophy gave me that opportunity and identity that I was looking for. I gave everything and I also wanted to emerge as the best goalkeeper in the tournament but our semifinals loss hit my chances. However, my aim is to win that title one day,” says Imran, adding that, he was on the verge of hanging his boots at one stage.

“I kept working hard but I was really getting frustrated in the last few years and wanted to quit. I have seen lot of down phases. I kept on waiting hoping to get the opportunity but it never came. I have always been part of the team but was spending my time on the bench,” recollects Imran. He credited Hanif Khan and Akhtar Rasool for giving him the confidence to hang in there.

“The team backed me a lot and so did Hanif bhai and Rasool bhai (brother). Had it not been for them and my teammates, I wouldn’t have seen this day. Their support helped me to play really well in the Champions Trophy,” reveals Imran, who was also of the view that goalkeepers also needed some slice of luck every time they walked on to the turf.

“Goalkeeping is luck. There will be days when you will stand out if you have some luck going your way. You might come up with some astonishing saves. Sometimes, you have the same run of form going all through the tournament.

“A goalkeeper cannot keep performing at the same level always. All you can do is try to get the basics right and hope that you can pull it off. But fans don’t understand that. They are always hard on us,” feels Imran. Indeed, the young custodian would need some slice of luck when he steps in to play in the finals against arch rivals India in the Asian Champions Trophy today.

“Not only me but my rival custodian would also need some luck. It will certainly be an intense contest like you saw in the league match against India. I’m ready and so is our team and we will definitely give our best. It’s a sport and anything can happen and our job is to give more than 100 percent and we will,” concludes a confident Imran.