IPL 2020 | Abdul Samad an exciting prospect in the IPL, believes Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan, who has been with Jammu and Kashmir team as a player-cum-mentor since last year’s domestic season has helped Abdul Samad’s transition from a rookie to bag an IPL contract. Samad was spotted at the Science College ground in Jammu by Irfan during a camp organised by J&K team.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan with his talent scouting goggles on has spotted a rare talent when it comes to J&K cricket. Abdul Samad, who hails from Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir has found his life changed after being spotted by Irfan.
Irfan recalled the time when he was impressed by the first sight of Samad’s batting during J&K’s camp in the Science College in Jammu.
“What caught my eye was his ability to bat on the up and also along the ground on a dry surface, where senior batsmen were struggling. The ball was keeping low, but here I saw a rookie batting without any trouble,” Irfan told TOI.
Irfan has been organising small tournaments across the valley to scout raw talents for the state team.
“I immediately checked his scores in the junior circuit. I was very impressed. I wanted to test him in the shorter format of game. So, during Syed Mushtaq Ali 2018-19 season, he debuted against Nagaland and smacked an unbeaten 76 of 51 balls, helping us win the match comfortably,” said Irfan.
Samad had a dream year in 2019 that saw him debut in T20, List-A and Ranji Trophy, then get an Indian Premier League(IPL) contract under his belt when he was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the auction and also finding a place in India’s U19 World Cup squad. He became only the fourth cricketer from J&K to get an IPL contract after Parvez Rasool, Manzoor Dar and Rashik Salam.
“There is no doubt he is a work in progress but a couple of things make him an exciting prospect. First, he can bat anywhere and can hit sixes at will. He is a good wrist spinner too. He has got a sharp googly and bowls very accurately for a part-timer,” opined Pathan.
In the ongoing Ranji season, Samad has scored 242 runs from five innings that also includes a hundred and two fifties. He scored his maiden first-class century in their Ranji encounter against Assam. He scored an unbeaten 103 off just 72 balls in that game.
Samad extended his warm regards to Irfan to have shown faith in him.
“I owe everything to Irfan sir. Unka J&K cricket se judna sone pe suhaga jaisa ho gaya (Irfan Pathan joining Jammu and Kashmir has been the icing on the cake). I don’t think I could have made it this far. He has helped me a lot and has backed me from the word go. But I have to work harder now, as my journey has just begun."
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