<div> During the last two seasons Irfan Pathan, hardly played any cricket because of a host of injuries. Missing out on the action has been tough for him. But a few distractors questioning his commitment have cut open an even bigger wound in his heart. <br /><br />Now charting his comeback through Ranji Trophy games for Baroda, Pathan opened up about the time away from cricket, fitness, and eagerness to return to the national squad.<br />Excerpts:<br /><br />On the disappointment of missing matches, and criticism about his commitment: In the last couple of seasons, I had heard some people saying Irfan Pathan didn’t play Ranji Trophy. You can check with Sanath Kumar (then Baroda coach) on the true nature of the events.<br /><br /> When I played those three games, I wasn’t fully fit. I had a crack on my rib. So, Sanath requested me to play as a batsman, as he felt my presence would be good for the team. Lot of people didn’t see that.<br /><br />Sometimes, critics won’t see what a cricketer goes through when they get injured. No one wants to be injured. If getting injured is a crime, then jails in the country will be full of bowlers. Bowling is hard work. <br /><br />The last two games I played for India I was man of the match, so to miss out on all that hurts. But I have enough support, so I went through that tough period. I need to thank Ashish Kaushik, my personal physio, for helping me come back.<br /><br />On the progress he is making as a bowler: I read somewhere that Irfan has changed his action. You will never see a bowler retain his action throughout his career. There will be some changes as you go on playing. In the first spell against Karnataka, I had beaten the bat a lot of times. I am happy with the way the ball is coming out of my hand.<br /><br /> I have always maintained that when you are coming back after a lay-off, the more you bowl the better you get. I am getting the crucial, big wickets. For example, in this match I got Manish Pandey with a bouncer. So, I am not far away from getting bulk of wickets, not far away from the way Irfan Pathan can bowl.<br /><br />On his fitness: I always give the example of Ryan Harris. How many times has he got injured? Pat Cummins got injured several times at such a young age. It’s sportsman’s life. But here, we stamp a player as injury prone. What is this injury prone? The human body is made to run straight. But bowling and batting has a lot twists and turns in terms of using your body. So you will get injured because you are doing an unnatural thing to the body.<br /><br />I have bowled around 40 overs in this game, and in the last two matches I bowled around 50 overs. So I have bowled some 90 overs in the last three matches. I have batted for a good period too. I reckon that’s a good statement of my fitness.<br /><br />On his readiness to play international cricket: Right now, I am not too far. But I need to play more first-class games, and as I said I would become better as I play more matches. It is all about slipping into rhythm. When your team needs a wicket in the last session or to give that extra bit on a slow pitch…I am getting there.<br /><br />On playing his 100th first-class game: Playing for such a long time in first-class cricket is quite satisfying. I have always maintained that if you play first-class cricket – the number of overs you bowl…your bowling improves.<br /><br /> It also helps your body to get stronger. When you play T20 cricket or one-day cricket, sometimes you just need to do the right thing – like bowling a yorker or bowl a defensive line. But when you play in all three formats, then you improve as a bowler.<br /><br /></div>
<div> During the last two seasons Irfan Pathan, hardly played any cricket because of a host of injuries. Missing out on the action has been tough for him. But a few distractors questioning his commitment have cut open an even bigger wound in his heart. <br /><br />Now charting his comeback through Ranji Trophy games for Baroda, Pathan opened up about the time away from cricket, fitness, and eagerness to return to the national squad.<br />Excerpts:<br /><br />On the disappointment of missing matches, and criticism about his commitment: In the last couple of seasons, I had heard some people saying Irfan Pathan didn’t play Ranji Trophy. You can check with Sanath Kumar (then Baroda coach) on the true nature of the events.<br /><br /> When I played those three games, I wasn’t fully fit. I had a crack on my rib. So, Sanath requested me to play as a batsman, as he felt my presence would be good for the team. Lot of people didn’t see that.<br /><br />Sometimes, critics won’t see what a cricketer goes through when they get injured. No one wants to be injured. If getting injured is a crime, then jails in the country will be full of bowlers. Bowling is hard work. <br /><br />The last two games I played for India I was man of the match, so to miss out on all that hurts. But I have enough support, so I went through that tough period. I need to thank Ashish Kaushik, my personal physio, for helping me come back.<br /><br />On the progress he is making as a bowler: I read somewhere that Irfan has changed his action. You will never see a bowler retain his action throughout his career. There will be some changes as you go on playing. In the first spell against Karnataka, I had beaten the bat a lot of times. I am happy with the way the ball is coming out of my hand.<br /><br /> I have always maintained that when you are coming back after a lay-off, the more you bowl the better you get. I am getting the crucial, big wickets. For example, in this match I got Manish Pandey with a bouncer. So, I am not far away from getting bulk of wickets, not far away from the way Irfan Pathan can bowl.<br /><br />On his fitness: I always give the example of Ryan Harris. How many times has he got injured? Pat Cummins got injured several times at such a young age. It’s sportsman’s life. But here, we stamp a player as injury prone. What is this injury prone? The human body is made to run straight. But bowling and batting has a lot twists and turns in terms of using your body. So you will get injured because you are doing an unnatural thing to the body.<br /><br />I have bowled around 40 overs in this game, and in the last two matches I bowled around 50 overs. So I have bowled some 90 overs in the last three matches. I have batted for a good period too. I reckon that’s a good statement of my fitness.<br /><br />On his readiness to play international cricket: Right now, I am not too far. But I need to play more first-class games, and as I said I would become better as I play more matches. It is all about slipping into rhythm. When your team needs a wicket in the last session or to give that extra bit on a slow pitch…I am getting there.<br /><br />On playing his 100th first-class game: Playing for such a long time in first-class cricket is quite satisfying. I have always maintained that if you play first-class cricket – the number of overs you bowl…your bowling improves.<br /><br /> It also helps your body to get stronger. When you play T20 cricket or one-day cricket, sometimes you just need to do the right thing – like bowling a yorker or bowl a defensive line. But when you play in all three formats, then you improve as a bowler.<br /><br /></div>
