Irfan Pathan reveals his international comeback plans

It has been almost 4 years since Irfan Pathan has played international cricket for India. With the loss of form and relevance being a couple of causes for the setback, the 31-year old has set his sights on a comeback to the national team. Especially, with the new selection committee almost in place, the comeback may not be so daunting as far as the southpaw is concerned.

Irfan Pathan burst onto the scene all those years ago in 2003 where he came across as a tearaway pacer swinging the ball viciously and with terrifying pace. However, after a few injuries, Pathan was not the same vicious pacer he once was. His pace dropped significantly and with his batting career also not taken off, he was sidelined and subsequently dropped from the Indian team.

However, speaking about his upcoming Ranji Trophy season with Baroda,  the 31-year old said that he would do his utmost to get the selectors to take one more good look at him.

“It is good to be contributing with the ball as well as the ball for Baroda. In another 10 days, the Ranji season would start so it is good to be in form at the start of the season. It was a conscious decision to take part in this tournament and get some runs and wickets under my belt before the Ranji challenge starts.” he said.

Speaking about his performance with the Rising Pune Supergiants, Pathan said that it was indeed disappointing to be left out of the side as much as he was. However, he said he would work harder to get a reckoning in the upcoming edition of the IPL. Pathan also went on to reveal the importance of taking the opportunity by the scruff of the neck.

“Sitting out so much in such a big tournament is not easy but then the team management has to choose the playing XI keeping in mind the best combination. I rate coach Stephen Fleming very high and Dhoni understands the game well. I am sure they have faith in my cricket abilities. I would be giving my best in the next edition.” he lamented.

“I got encouraging feedback last season on my form. It was just a matter of a grabbing a chance. Even I felt that I could have got a look into the national team. If Ashish Nehra can make a successful comeback at 36, I have not also lost hope at 31. It is never too late.”

Most recently, Irfan Pathan had made a name for himself in JP Atray tournament for Vadodara. He was subsequently named as the man of the series for the same tournament.