In a freewheeling chat, Irfan Pathan sums up his five-year career, says he has never run away from the all-rounder tag but wants people to give him time and not penic every time he fails.
Irfan Pathan believes in pushing himself and his team-mates at all times. (TOI Photo)
Irfan Pathan believes in pushing himself and his team-mates at all times. (TOI Photo)ime and not panic every time he fails. There are times when you watch Irfan Pathan playing and you wonder what's a bowler like him even doing in the team and then again, there are times when you feel that the Indian team needs a player like him to balance things out. He has the ability to polarise opinion, just as he also possesses undeniable talent. He's been through the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in a international career that has spanned five years. Yet, he is only 23 and the world is his oyster. Pathan reveals why the Greg Chappell manner of coaching suited him to a 'T'. During the Indian team's record 18-match winning streak, Pathan shone like a star India had rarely ever seen before. Excerpts: It's been five years since you made your debut in international cricket. In most people's books that's a long time even more so in that of a cricketer. What are your memories of that first game? There are so many memories. For me, it still seems like yesterday.
Irfan Pathan believes in pushing himself and his team-mates at all times. (TOI Photo)
Irfan Pathan believes in pushing himself and his team-mates at all times. (TOI Photo)ime and not panic every time he fails. There are times when you watch Irfan Pathan playing and you wonder what's a bowler like him even doing in the team and then again, there are times when you feel that the Indian team needs a player like him to balance things out. He has the ability to polarise opinion, just as he also possesses undeniable talent. He's been through the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in a international career that has spanned five years. Yet, he is only 23 and the world is his oyster. Pathan reveals why the Greg Chappell manner of coaching suited him to a 'T'. During the Indian team's record 18-match winning streak, Pathan shone like a star India had rarely ever seen before. Excerpts: It's been five years since you made your debut in international cricket. In most people's books that's a long time even more so in that of a cricketer. What are your memories of that first game? There are so many memories. For me, it still seems like yesterday.
Getting my cap, Dada telling me three days before the match that I might play and then telling me on the eve of the match on the phone that I will get the new ball. My first wicket, someone dropping Ponting at second slip off my bowling... I could go on and on. Every second of that tour to Australia is still alive in my head. And it makes me feel proud. But how has Irfan Pathan the cricketer grown in the five years since then? I have learnt a lot, most importantly I have identified my strengths and my weaknesses. Growing up in the public eye can be difficult but I have managed to learn how to handle the adulation too.
So what would your weakness as a cricketer be? I wouldn't want to reveal that but it would suffice to say that I have been working on something and that will soon be clear to all those who see me play. Personally I am satisfied with it but professionally, I still have to try it out in the middle. I am pretty sure it will work pretty well. If you have a USP. What would it be? My energy. I am at the opposition at all times. You won't ever catch me slacking off or letting my team-mates do the same. I believe in pushing myself and my team-mates at all times.
Of the new pace battery, it would be rather difficult to break into the side on the strength of your bowling alone. Do you still deny the all-rounder tag? All I'm saying is that let my performance prove it. I'm not asking to believe everything I say but at the end of the day, numbers matter. In Tests, I average 31 with the bat and take enough wickets and in ODIs, as you saw with my 43 yesterday, I do have the talent for batting.
I am not running away from the all-rounder tag. All I am saying is stay patient and give me time. And don't panic every time I fail. I'm just 23 and I'm sure I'll continue to improve. It almost sounds like the insecurities associated with being in and out of the team started to get to you... I won't lie. There have been times when I have played to just protect my spot in the ODI team. It has even happened in the Test matches and those days are not something that I would like to brag about. But instinctively, we try and protect ourselves first, the rest comes later. I think that feeling was also around because I knew that one bad performance and I would be dropped.