I am close to achieving perfection in my bowling this season – Irfan Pathan

Ahead of the Ranji Trophy season, Baroda skipper Irfan Pathan is clear about his plans. Baroda is all set to take on Mumbai in their next fixture this season. Pathan is hopeful of a good show from his team. In a recent interaction with the Indian Express, he spoke on his leadership role and his plans on the personal front. In a most striking feature, he said he doesn’t wish to be a mentor. All that he is focused on is being a good leader.

When asked if he is ready for a mentorship role, Irfan Pathan answered in negative. He said mentorship will be on the cards post retirement. For now, his focus is clearly on his game. “It’s something you do after retirement. At present, I have no such plans,” Pathan quoted.

Pathan feels captaincy comes as an exciting challenge to him. He remarks that leading the Baroda team is a fun task. He also said he has a personal goal to accomplish at the end of the season. Captaincy only gives him an added responsibility. “This is a challenge I am looking forward to. There is fun in leading this team. I have an aim, and I want my team to achieve that at the end of the Ranji season. There is an added responsibility that keeps me going,” quoted the junior Pathan.

He further admitted that it has been great to play under the leadership of remarkable captains like MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly. He cited that he got a lot to learn from them as a young player coming in to the team. He added that he picked up good qualities from legendary players like them.

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“Obviously, you learn after watching them on the field. As a youngster coming into the Indian team, I was no different. They are all very different human beings with their own styles. The most important aspect was to take all the good things from these guys, and then incorporate your own distinct style to it,” admitted Irfan Pathan on learning from seniors.

He also pointed out the fact that he could not complete his education due to U15 fixtures. Hence, he believes leading the team will be a great learning experience for him. “My education stopped after Class X. I was selected for U-15 and did not have the time to finish my schooling. My experiences under these players are all part of my education,” said a modest Pathan.

When asked how he keeps himself motivated, Irfan Pathan had a straightforward answer to it. He said it has never been an issue for him. He says that his experiences of life has helped him be motivated in all circumstances.

“Motivation has never been an issue for me. If that was indeed the case, I would not have been here in Palam captaining Baroda. I have been through many experiences in my professional life. I can use my experiences to help and motivate my players. I don’t want to impose myself on players,” conceded Pathan.

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Speaking on his current form, Pathan sounded confident. He admitted him being a rhythm bowler. He spoke on the subtle changes that he incorporated to attain perfection with his action. “I’m very much a rhythm bowler. I’m close to achieving perfection in my bowling this season. Obviously, my stint with Sekhar sir only helped. He has always gone out of the way to help me. Staying more close to myself, rather than the loading going too much away from my left ear and shoulder. Those were subtle changes which helped me improve my line and length. It even helped me get more zip from the pitch,” he explains,” remarked the Baroda skipper.

Pathan also focused on the fact that the Baroda team has a few exciting talent this season. He emphasized on the fact that if they put in the right amount of hardwork, they can do wonders in this season. He quoted, “We have a couple of fresh faces who have the talent to make it big in first-class cricket. If they can put their heads down and focus, they can make it big this season.”