Few years back, Irfan Pathan was one of the most important player in team India setup! He was that kind of fast bowling allrounder, India waited nearly two decades after Kapil Dev. The Baroda lad performed for the country on numerous occasions with the ball, as well as the bat. But a sudden dip in form, and a string of recurring injuries saw him out of the Indian setup in 2012, when he was 28.
Since then, a lot has changed in Indian Cricket. It has been five years since he played any limited-overs match for India, and nine since he played a Test match.
Now, India has blessed with Hardik Pandya, a charismatic allrounder, who can change the game within few overs, with both bat and ball.
Irfan, who is known for his hat-trick against Pakistan in Karachi, admitted that time was running out fast for him to make a comeback into the Indian team.
“I know that I’m – you know, I’m standing on thin ice,” Irfan told Cricinfo in an interview.
Now, The one and only way to return to national fold is perform well in the domestic cricket, and the southpaw is ready for the challenge. Having said that, the Ranji season hasn’t begun on a very bright not for the Baroda captain and his team.
“I started early this season and I’m doing everything that I could to hopefully achieve my dream in the future,” he says. This season is going to be very, very crucial,” Irfan, who is leading Baroda in the ongoing Ranji Trophy tournament, said.
Since his last ODI in 2012 against Sri Lanka, Irfan has played 17 List A matches and has claimed 19 wickets.
Since his last Test in 2008, Irfan has made just 36 First class appearances and scored 1749 runs at an average of 32.38. He has also claimed 120 wickets at 22.95.
