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Journalism of Courage
No better way to begin your coaching stint in India than watching the Irani Trophy at Mohali, the headquarters of your future employers. That could have been Intikhab Alam’s lot next week but the former Pakistan coach will have to wait a while longer to start his stint with Punjab.
Though his contract with the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) is due to begin tomorrow, the Indian government is yet to decide on his visa clearance, leaving Alam cooling his heels at home in Lahore.
In a bold move last June, the first of its kind in the history of Indian cricket, the PCA had appointed Alam as coach-cum-manager of the state Ranji squad.
However, what the association didn’t know at that moment was how arduous and time-consuming the exercise could turn out to be, especially if the import is from neighbouring Pakistan.
‘‘We are waiting for the clearance from our government. It’s in the final stages. The foreign ministry officials had been busy of late with the visit of diplomats from Pakistan; as soon as it happens, Alam will be here to take up his assignment,’’ says PCA secretary MP Pandove.
Alam, on the other hand, hasn’t been sitting idle. Though he’s ‘‘anxiously waiting’’ for his visa, and promises to be at Mohali within a week of getting the clearance, he told The Indian Express he had a plan for the Punjab team for the current season.
‘‘Once I arrive, I will try my best to make Punjab the top team in Indian domestic cricket,’’ Alam said from Lahore.
