Has Irfan Pathan reclaimed the swing?

New Delhi, December 04: Having missed the entire first-class season in 2010 owing to an injury, Irfan Pathan was desperate to wear the whites. Away from the flashlights, somewhere at the National Cricket Academy, he was training intensely to regain robustness.

Sure enough his body responded. He was finally fit. But was he match fit? He wouldn’t have known unless he played matches. And play he did but he didn’t start with the Ranji.

“I featured in the Challenger, West Zone T20 and even the Baroda league to regain match fitness. All the hard work paid off,” the all-rounder said.

Now the next challenge awaited him. The swing must return, but how? When you think of Irfan, your thoughts invariably race to 2003-04, Australia. Sydney and Adam Gilchrist flash. Pathan bowling a searing yorker to shatter Gilchrist’s sticks. Then you think of Pakistan, 2004. Multan and Abdul Razzaq flash. Razzaq unable to fend his rising ball. Those are our memories of Irfan, slight hazy now. It’s been years since he has bowled like that. Yes, there was a spell in the Perth Test in the 2008 series. It seemed that the swing was back but that was a facade. Inconsistency dogged him and the selectors had lost faith.

This season, something seems to be working for him. Pathan has a bagful of 21 wickets in four Ranji games. He has three five-wicket hauls too: against Madhya Pradesh (5/54), Haryana (5/37) and Delhi (7/114). What’s more, he’s the highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

“I enjoyed those spells. A five-wicket haul is always special in a bowler’s career. The one against Madhya Pradesh helped my team win, while it was a joy to bowl in Delhi. I liked the way I released the ball. It was fun bowling there,” said Pathan.

“The ball that dismissed my (Delhi) Daredevils’ mate Yogesh Nagar was my trademark delivery. The ball came in sharply,” he added.

Pathan believes the wickets of MP’s Harpreet Singh and Delhi’s Unmukt Chand have given a boost to his confidence. “On both the occasions, the ball pitched on middle and leg before clipping the off-stump bail,” said Pathan. Singh is a left-handed batsman; young Chand is a right-handed opener.

“I know I wasn’t doing well a couple of years ago. Bad form and injuries kept me away from the competitive scene in 2010. There was criticism but you have to take it in your stride. I have been bowling better and feeling really good,” he confessed.

Coach Sanath Kumar can’t stop praising the bowler. “He has been bowling well (since his comeback). It is not easy to take three fivers in successive matches but he has achieved it. He has the zeal and I feel he deserves a place in the Indian team,” said Kumar.

“Irfan has produced some excellent spells of swing bowling this season. He has regained the rhythm he is known for.”

Pathan says about his coach: “He (Kumar) is one of the best coaches in the domestic circuit given the way he manages the senior and junior players. He has experience and has truckloads of information.”

Pathan has been named vice-captain of Baroda in absence of his brother Yusuf who is down with injury. And he is enjoying that role too.

“It is always an honour to play first-class cricket and represent Baroda, more so as its vice-captain. I am trying to help my coach and the other players, my juniors in particular with my inputs,” he said.

Unfortunately, Pathan’s efforts do not reflect in Baroda’s performance. The team is at number two spot in Group B with three other teams.

At the half-way mark, they need to score at least one outright win to qualify for the knockouts. He said: “We are not happy with the results but are determined to overcome it. Sometimes, coming from behind helps you go far.”

Who else would know better?

——Agencies