When Bob Woolmer thought Inzamam was wrong to declare in Bangalore Test

New Delhi: Former Pakistan captain Inzamam ul Haq says that ex-coach Bob Woolmer had doubted his decision to declare early in the 2005 Bangalore Test against India but he proved him wrong by guiding the team to an emphatic 168-run win.

Walking down the memory lane, Inzaman recalled that famous Test.

Electing to bat, Pakistan had posted 570 in first innings. In reply, India were 449 all out. In their second innings, Pakistan declared at 261 for 2, a decision which Woolmer believed was "wrong".

"Before declaring, I sent a message to Bob Woolmer that I wanted to give some overs to India today. Woolmer said that the captain and vice-captain should make that call.

"I asked Younis who agreed with me. I wanted to take a chance and called for the declaration. When I came back Woolmer said that he thought my decision to declare was wrong," Inzamam said in his Youtube channel.

"India had to save the last day and they went into a negative mindset. Virender Sehwag was the only player who I thought could take the game away from us. The next day, I told my team that if we get Sehwag then they won't be able to chase it down.

"Razzaq ran Sehwag out. I thought if Razzaq can run a batsman out, then it is definitely our day."

"India went into defensive mode after that wicket. I attacked with close-in fielders and even a batsman like Sachin Tendulkar couldn't score. When we got to the last part of the match, we got an extra six or seven overs which vindicated my decision to declare early," he said.

The Bangalore game, which was Inzamam's 100th Test, was the third match of the series with India leading 1-0.

"My 100th Test match (in Bangalore) was a very special moment for me. The entire tour was very special," Inzamam said.