He is 33, he was unceremoniously dropped from the Baroda side after just two First-class games. He was given a cold shoulder by all eight IPL franchises for the eleventh edition. Somewhat forcibly he decided to join J&K as a player cum coach for the current domestic season. Even after all this, he still hasn’t given up hope of a comeback in the Indian. Here, he is Irfan Pathan, who was Indian cricket’s blue-eyed boy not too long ago.
“I am also trying my best to come back to the Indian cricket team,” Pathan told TOI in Ludhiana. The all-rounder was there for the inauguration of a local cricket academy.
Dropped from the Indian side since 2012 World T20 in Sri Lanka, Pathan now spends most of his time in Srinagar, nurturing the cricketing talent of J&K. But that hasn’t stopped him from dreaming. He never forgets to hone his skills in between passing on the knowledge to youngsters.
It will be nothing short of a fairy tale if Pathan does manage to force his way into the Indian team. The all-rounder’s spot doesn’t have the vacant board dangling in front of it thanks to Pathan’s Baroda teammate Hardik Pandya. It would take a lot to dislodge Pandya now.
Pathan’s would hope his experience of 12o ODIs helps him in his quest to make a comeback to the Indian side as an all-rounder.