Irfan Pathan looks for ‘comeback’ into Indian team

In the early 2000s, when India was striving for a proper pace-bowling all-rounder to fill the bill, prodigious teenager Irfan Pathan had burst onto the scene and mesmerised the Indian fans though his accurate swing. He doubled up as a more than capable batsman to steer the team from bad positions to safety, more often than not. However, it was the injury concerns that proved detrimental to his career forcing him to spend more time in the rehab process than at the nets.

“Previously I used to do weights. Now I am into hard running. I run two km at a stretch and time those runs. I feel much lighter, and I feel good about myself,” said the former India all-rounder.

Citing the examples of Australian pace bowlers, Irfan said that no pacer should be written off after some injuries.

“Injuries happen, particularly when you are a paceman. But you need to be looked after well and with sensitiveness. You should not be written off. Look at Australia. Their pacemen keep getting injured but they keep coming back.”

Speaking about the learning that he has from the game, the 31-year Baroda all-rounder said, “Cricket has taught me so many things. I travelled around the world, saw different cultures and learnt to speak English which enabled me to communicate better. Above all, the game taught me to take different emotions in my stride. One has to stay grounded.”