Quotes from Inzamam-ul-Haq

Handling pressure is the key to doing well in Indo-Pak matches.

I remember, before the 2003 World Cup, I worked extremely hard on my fitness. A great deal of training and dietary discipline. I believe I lost 19 kg. And 19 is the number of runs I scored in the entire tournament.

The pressures of playing in the World Cup are different, but it was because we coped with them in 1992 under Imran Khan's guidance and influence that we won the Cup.

Throughout my career, we beat India in many matches, but for some reason, we never managed to get the better of them in World Cup matches, and it remains a disappointment for me.

Once you reach the knockout stage of a World Cup, the team that holds its nerves wins.

In 2004, we were in a rebuilding phase after the disastrous 2003 World Cup campaign, and the batsmen, in particular, did not know where they would bat or what was their role. For example, in the one-dayers, we were playing Shahid Afridi on top of the order, but we didn't consider him for the Tests.

We were able to dominate the world in the '90s because the World Cup victory completely transformed us and changed our mindset.

World Cup 2003 was the worst phase in my career, but that is now behind me, and I am doing all-out efforts to get my place in the team back and further my career.

As a player, you have to assess how fit you are and look at your performance graph - how long you are delivering. Take Imran Khan's case: he played till 39.

I have one regret that whenever I look at the list of world's leading scorers, I don't see any Pakistani who has scored 10,000 Test runs; even I couldn't do it ,nor Muhammad Yousuf.

Regardless of where we play, we should play India on regular basis.

I think there is no better way for our players to improve and learn to perform under pressure than playing regularly with India.

Off the field, both India and Pakistan enjoy a healthy relationship, and that's the way it should be - friends off the field and fierce competitors on it.

If people remember me as one who contributed to Pakistan's cricket, I will feel good. If people say good things, it makes me feel happy.

The pressure of an India-Pakistan game is immense.

When you have confidence, the atmosphere in the dressing room also improves.

I have told the PCB that I want total independence to work with a free mind and pick the best players, and they have assured me it will be done.

In the past, when we toured countries like Australia or South Africa, we struggled, but we also got to learn a lot, and we learnt to cope with pressure.

A tour to India is different from other tours. The expectations to win are very high from our own people, and defeats and poor performances are not forgotten easily.

I think most people thought that because I am quite reserved and private, I wouldn't make a good captain.

Even a good batsman requires a year or so in test cricket to settle down and play long innings.

What I intend to do is to launch a batting academy. I have been a batsman throughout my life, and I can't open a bowling academy after all!

If someone says to me, 'You are a cheat, and Pakistan is doing wrong things,' my first priority is to my country.

As my parents are from India, I am told a lot of positive things about the country, the culture and traditions of Muslims in India. I don't remember anything nasty told to me by my parents.