Team India head coach Ravi Shastri often sings the praises of former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan. In his new book 'Stargazing: The players in my life', Shastri has once again reiterated his admiration for Imran, hailing the latter as one of the 'greatest captains the game has ever seen'.

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Shastri also revisited a fascinating anecdote of an on-field rivalry that took place between the two in 1987.

"Imran Khan is one of the greatest captains and players the game has seen. Why I hold this view hardly needs qualification. His records speak of itself and if at all further validation is necessary, it comes from the experience of those who played with or against him," Shastri wrote.

One of the finest all-rounders of all-time, Imran Khan represented Pakistan in 88 Tests, claiming 362 wickets and scoring 3807 runs. He also left his mark in white-ball cricket, leading Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup triumph.

It was in the year 1978 that Shastri saw Imran play for the first time.

"When India toured Pakistan. He was then making mark as one of the best all-rounders in cricket after a rather slow start to his career.

"When Pakistan came to India the next season, I made sure to get a place in the North Stand at the Wankhede Stadium. Imran's strength was his remarkable control over swing and reverse swing. The steeply curving late swingers or 'indippers' as they were called then, made life hellish for batsmen," he wrote.

Recalling his first meeting with the current Pakistan Prime Minister, Shastri wrote, "In 1987, when I was leading the Under-25 team against Pakistan, Imran arrived late to the stadium for the match. He apologised, saying he was stuck in traffic. Fair enough, but he wanted to start bowling straight away, which I wasn't agreeable to as this was against the rules. Sensing the umpires were vacillating, I told them to mind their own business and go by the book. Imran's message to Wasim Akram and the other bowlers in that game was to bounce the sh*t out of me.

"Sometimes later, when we were playing Pakistan in Sharjah, I suddenly got stomach cramps while batting and requested for a runner. Imran refused. We were 100 something for no loss then. I fell in a couple of deliveries. From a solid start, wickets started tumbling and we went on to lose the game chasing a modest 240-odd.

"Imran had not forgotten what I'd done to him earlier and paid back in kind. But while he played it real hard, he left the contest on the field. Off it, he was friendly but reserved, keeping pretty much to himself."

Shastri rates Imran Khan as the best batsman among the four great all-rounders of his era with Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee and Ian Botham being the other three.

"Among the four great all-rounders of that era, Imran was the best batsman, technically and temperamentally, according to the situation demanded," he opined.

(With IANS inputs)