Mohsin Khan: Remembering matches against India and Bollywood days

Dubai, Sep 11 (PTI) The memories come to Mohsin Khan in waves.

The former Pakistan opener leans back as he recalls a career that straddled two worlds -- the cricket field where he took on the fiercest fast bowlers of his generation in 48 Tests and 75 ODIs, and the film studios of Mumbai where he acted alongside some of Hindi cinema's biggest names in a dozen films.

"Playing against India both home and away used to be fun. Jimmy (Mohinder Amarnath) became a close friend. Humare time mein aggression tha par badtameezi nahi thi (We had aggression but there was no boorish behaviour)," he says, the nostalgia evident in his tone.

His first tour of India in 1979 opened more than just cricketing doors. Film-makers came calling almost immediately, urging him to stay back after the series for short schedules.

"From 1979, when I first came to India, I started getting offers from Bollywood," he remembers.

"People would say, just stay for 20 days and we will complete your portion. But then my focus was cricket." The choice to prioritise cricket was vindicated soon enough. By 1982, Mohsin etched his name in the record books as the first Pakistani cricketer to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year in international cricket.

"That was very special, especially becoming first Pakistani batter to hit a double ton at Lord's," he says matter-of-factly.

Two years later, in 1984, he struck consecutive centuries at Adelaide and Melbourne, taking on Dennis Lillee in his own backyard.

"To do it against the best fast bowler of my time was satisfying," he says with a quiet smile.

Mohsin believes his game was particularly suited to pace and bounce.

"I think I played on bouncy tracks way better than many of my contemporary Pakistani batters," he reflects, pointing to the resilience that defined his career.

One Test that remains close to his heart came against India in Lahore. He scored 94 in the first innings before Madan Lal got him and then 101 not out in the second innings score of 135/1 -- hundred in a lowest completed team total.

"That match is still one of my favourites," he admits.

The cricketing lens on today ================== Decades later, Mohsin watches the game with the eye of a man who has lived it. His views on Pakistan's current mainstay Babar Azam are both appreciative and cautionary.

"Babar isn't a bad batter," he says, choosing his words carefully.

"But you need a clutch of quality players around him to support him. Look at Virat Kohli — in Tests he had Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul. In ODIs he had Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. A great player is made even greater when surrounded by other strong players." Babar and Rizwan aren't a part of Asia Cup and Mohsin attributes it to the pressure that was on them to score runs.

"If you are always put under pressure that you have to score centuries every time you step out, they are humans too -- hence at times you aren't able to play the game the team requires you to play." He contrasts that with Pakistan's past batting line-ups. "During our time there was Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, and later Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan.

"Teams are built on numbers -- you need a group of players who are more or less of the same quality. Right now, there is a big gulf between Babar and the rest." Admiring opponents and contemporaries ========================== Mohsin doesn't hesitate when asked about the cricketers he most admired in his time.

"Among bowlers, Imran Khan, Dennis Lillee, Richard Hadlee, Malcolm Marshall and Kapil Dev were my favourites. They were masters of their craft," he says.

"And among batters, I adored Sunil Gavaskar, Majid Khan, Viv Richards and Greg Chappell. They had a touch of genius about them." Bollywood: the second innings ==================== If cricket was Mohsin's first love, cinema became his unexpected second. By the mid-1980s, he was spending more time in Mumbai than in Karachi. He was back then married to the very popular Reena Roy.

The turning point came almost by accident.

"Actually, when I got offered Batwara, I was flying to London via Mumbai with my then wife Reena," he recalls.

His debut was buoyed by the warmth of his co-stars. "Dharam ji was very affectionate and Vinod was a friend," he remembers.

There was a scene that required deep emotional intensity, and Dutta found an interesting way to bring it home to his cricketer-actor.

"He told me, 'Mohsin, farz karo tumne hundred mara, phir bhi Pakistan India se haara. Kaisa mehsoos hoga aapko?' That was how he explained it." The performance earned Mohsin a Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actor, rubbing shoulders with stalwarts like Nana Patekar and Anupam Kher.

"To be nominated alongside Nana and Anupam was a big achievement for someone who wasn't a trained actor," he says with pride.

His most profound experience, however, came with Mahesh Bhatt during the making of Saathi, remembered for the haunting song Zindagi ke Talaash mein Hum, Maut ke kitne paas aa gaye.

"Bhatt saab is an intellectual. You sit with him and you can learn about life’s philosophies. That song is still heard by people. Kumar Sanu was brilliant," he says.

A private father =========== If Mohsin is guarded when it comes to speaking about his past marriage with Reena Roy, he is openly affectionate while talking about their daughter.

"She has completed her studies and stays with her mother in Mumbai. I am in touch with her. She did her schooling in Pakistan and finished her higher studies in Mumbai," he says, his eyes lighting up as the conversation ended. PTI KHS PM KHS PM PM