Irfan Pathan told me I should hit a little selectively, reveals Abdul Samad
Abdul Samad scored 111 runs in 11 matches for Hyderabad
|@IPL
Sunrisers all-rounder Abdul Samad has revealed that Irfan Pathan had advised him to hit little selectively after he had confessed to the former pacer that he lacked patience. Samad added that Pathan had categorically told him if he wants to represent the Indian team one day, he has to score big.
The Kashmiri all-rounder Abdul Samad is famous for his short stay at the crease, where he goes bonkers on any loose deliveries from the bowlers. In his debut season as well, although he couldnât stay much longer on the crease, his innings were anything but dull as he bolstered 111 runs at an average of 22, including 6 sixes and 8 boundaries, in the 11 matches he played. His hitting ability was the reason he was backed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for the entire season.Â
Following his debut season, the Kashmiri cricketer, who played a blistering cameo in qualifier 2, has revealed that there was a time when he suffered on the field due to lack of patience, and the habit of hitting the ball hard affected his performance at the Under-19 stage, which he eventually confessed to the former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan.
âAfter playing Under-19 one-dayers when we came back home, there was a camp set up, where Irfan bhai had come. Irfan bhai saw me batting, and he asked why I was not able to score the big runs. I told him that I lacked a little patience,â Samad said in a video uploaded by SRH.Â
Samad revealed that Pathan played a big role in improving his batting approach as the former India cricketer advised him to pick his balls to play attacking strokes rather than hitting all the balls. Samad also revealed that Pathan told him that he is capable of playing for India if he accumulates runs.
âHe (Irfan) told me then that I should hit but a little selectively. He told me that if I look at scoring big runs, then I am capable of playing for India one day,â he said.
Samad got a chance to represent SRH in both the playoff games. While he didnât bat in the eliminator against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he was the second-highest scorer in Qualifier 2 against Delhi Capitals, where he scored 33 off 16 balls to notch his highest score in IPL 2020. Unfortunately, SRH lost the game by 17 runs and got knocked out of the tournament.
