Butt heaves huge sigh of relief with quite dinner

By ND Prashant/Doha

Pakistan fans would have partied till late in the night after their 5-4 thrilling win over India in the Asian Champions Trophy final. But had even one of them been with me last night, they would have seen another side of a player’s life.

For Pakistan custodian Imran Butt it was night to bask in the glory – he had weathered a storm and made sure that his team won over arch rivals India.

However, he chose to spend a quiet evening with a journalist – that too an Indian. “Bhai kab miloge?” (Brother when can we meet?) he asked over the phone towards midnight. My first question to him was, “Aren’t you partying tonight? It’s your day.”

“No bro,” he said, “Let’s meet up.”

His reply left me curious. It took me a good one hour to meet him but an exhausted Imran was patiently waiting in the hotel lobby. I was further surprised that even after such an absorbing match, he had not had dinner. “I was waiting to have dinner with you,” he said.

I had first met Imran as a cub player in 2007 when he came to Doha with the PIA team as a 19-yr-old. Today’s Imran is a name to reckon with in Pakistan hockey. What touched me the most was his humility.

He questioned me for not meeting him even on seeing his name on the team list for the Doha event. To which I said, “You are a big man now. I wasn’t sure you would remember me.”

Unlike most of the players I have seen over the years – for once someone proved me wrong.

“I have never forgotten people whom I have come across over the years. I remember the first interview you had taken here. It is not good to forget your past. You should always remember the road you have travelled,” said Imran.

These words of wisdom from a young player were indeed impressive. “So why aren’t you partying?” I probed again.

“Simple, there is nothing to party. I have just survived. Had that stroke stood and India scored the fifth goal, I would have certainly been on the receiving end. Today it was Sreejesh’s (Indian custodian) turn. Sadly, our nations come hard on players, especially goalkeepers. These matches go beyond sports,” said Imran, heaving a sigh of relief and clearly expressing the pressures he goes through.

“It’s not just me; anyone who figures in an India-Pakistan match goes through similar pressure. I can completely relate to what Sreejesh must be going through at the moment,” he added.

Imran was also quick to notify that today’s youth are least interested in ‘political war fought between the two nations’.

“I have travelled a lot in India and I don’t find much difference between our countries. Everything is almost similar. People have welcomed me with open arms wherever I have travelled in India and trust me if you visit Pakistan, you will feel the same,” asserted Imran, who will be heading to Mumbai in a week’s time to play in the Hockey India league.

With a hood over his head, a quite and long stroll at the Corniche followed after dinner with Imran still deep in thoughts.

In the short span, I couldn’t resist admiring the vision and views of this young blood and here’s hoping that people from both nations - India and Paksitan would take a cue from him.