Need ice on your head to work in J&K, reveals Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan has revealed that one needs to be cool like ice to work as Jammu and Kashmir’s team mentor and deal with the challenges that the role brings with it. Nevertheless, Irfan also said that he has relished guiding J&K through to the knockout phase for the first time in six years.
Within his two seasons at J&K — first as a player-mentor and now a mentor — Irfan has helped guide the team to the quarter-final stage with six wins in nine matches this campaign. Though his official title at the JKCA is ‘mentor’, to this J&K team, he is coach, administrator, strategist, occasional net-bowler, and reliable elder brother. And the former Indian cricketer has taken up the challenges head-on.
“This experience will stay with me forever. I never thought I’d be able to manage so many things. Sometimes, I’ve handled the hotels and flights as well. I’ve done A to Z. If you have to work here, you need ice on your head, because you want things at the level you are used to. You can get agitated but you need to take the challenges head-on,” Irfan said, reported Sportstar.
After using his first year with the team to figure out the system and familiarize with the players, Irfan laid down some strict markers ahead of the on-going campaign.
“Last year, I was still trying to find out how the system works and get to know the players. This year, we laid down our selection policy: if you perform, you play. No senior or junior, no bias, no unnecessary rotation. If you play selfish cricket, you have no place in my team. I told the players: ‘If you qualify for the knockouts, the whole country is going to watch, and people will see how good you are.’ And that’s what is happening right now,” he said.
Irfan admitted that he has been left amazed by the talent and the resilience he has spotted in the players coming through from a state that is otherwise in turmoil.
“We’ve got so much raw talent from the smallest districts. Our players live in a difficult situation. They live in a conflict zone. And when you live in a conflict zone, it’s all about survival. Getting through the month of August, and then coming back and playing like this…they’re incredibly strong people. A lot of people will say a lot of things, but it depends on your mindset. Kashmir is just beautiful,” Irfan added.
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