Team will always come first: Tamim Iqbal
Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal, who was given captaincy of the ODI side, said he'd work hard to ensure that the team comes first.
Tamim, also the leading run-scorer for Bangladesh in ODI, has been given the opportunity to lead his team 13 years after his debut.
The southpaw said he has always believed that if he can lead his team with his batting performances, then it had been good enough.
But, when the ability came, Tamim did not want to ignore it.
He recently joined an interview with former Indian cricketer cum commentator Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNcricinfo where he exposed about his thoughts behind accepting the offer these times.
“When the ability came this time, among my coaches explained to ‘try it’. It’s easier to say ‘I don’t want to do it’ and later regret that I had the opportunity to lead my country and I didn’t do it,” he said in the interview.
“The coach explained, do it, give your very best, give your 100 percent. There is always another option.”
Tamim accepted the actual fact that he doesn't have much connection with leading a side and reckoned that he's bound to create mistakes primarily but he also assured that he will always think about his team before himself.
He described himself as a person who does things from his heart. “I’m not an experienced captain, so I’m bound to create mistakes but I’ll make sure that the team always comes first,” he said.
“We’ll see how it goes. If I’m doing justice, then I’ll continue. And, if I’m not, I’ll be the first someone to put my hands up,” he added.
Tamim also spoke about his debut World Cup game against India.
His half-century through the 2007 World Cup against India catapulted him to stardom. Tamim said that it had been a complete fanboy moment for him to play on the same ground with famous brands Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh.
“I was too busy watching Sachin, Sourav, Dravid, and Yuvraj. I recall I was fielding and I was just happy to be playing with those players,” Tamim reminisced.
“We knew we had a chance. The vital thing I remember thinking facing Zaheer Khan is if I’ll manage to see 140kmph ball. I somehow were able to defend the first one and thought I could actually see. I was lucky that the next ball I got a half-volley and it went for a four. After that, I got a lttle bit of confidence and continued swinging and it kept getting connected,” he added.
Tamim continued to score a whirlwind half-century for the reason that game which Bangladesh eventually won by five wickets to remove former champion India from the global meet.
