The Pathan brothers have been the cynosure of all eyes ever since the start of Indian Premier League’s 2010 season. On one hand, Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne is searching for new adjectives for Yusuf, and on the other, the Kings XI captain Kumar Sangakkara swears by Irfan’s genuine all-rounder ability.
Yusuf’s power hitting has been known to all and sundry but Irfan’s memorable stints with the bat have been in patches. Having matched Yusuf’s power play shot by shot, unfortunately, Irfan’s IPL 2010 destiny also matched his older brother’s destiny – both siblings have put up a valiant effort with the bat but ended up on the losing side.
In an exclusive interview with IPLT20.COM, Irfan spoke about the heartbreak, Yusuf Pathan and how Brett Lee’s absence was disturbing Kings XI Punjab.
Talking about the pain of defeat after coming close to victory he said, “You can say that it is such an irony but that is how Twenty20 goes. One over can change the match, one wicket can turn it upside down. But I am pretty happy with the way Yusuf [Pathan] is hitting the ball. And look he is going to get better each passing day. I saw his innings against Mumbai Indians and felt bad when he couldn’t finish [off the game for his side]. It was the same feeling that I have today. We both failed at the last hurdle. Even when I was batting we were on course but that one ball which I got out [on] changed the outcome of the game.”
The regret on Irfan’s face was evident when asked whether this was his best innings in IPL. He said, “Yes, it could have been better if I would have stayed till the last ball; things might have been different. Innings like these don’t come too often and when [it did] come, I should have finished it off for my team. But then I had to try out that ball with which I got out. I [didn’t have the choice] to play defensively or anything like that. I don’t regret it but I should have stayed there till the end.”
Although Kings XI Punjab lost the match, Irfan must be happy to have brought them close to a win. “You feel good when you play like that. Luckily for me, I had a good day on the field. I bowled well and batted well but yes, one minus point [is] that I didn’t win it for my team,” he said.
The left-armer exuded confidence about the performance helping him in future games this season. “This kind of a performance will help me in the future matches as well. It was important for me to get a performance like this with both bat and ball to get the confidence going. And hopefully I will win matches in the tournament,” he said.
Kings XI Punjab has a good line-up, but the points table doesn’t seem to suggest this. “Yeah, that is absolutely true that we are a pretty good side. Unfortunately, the score line doesn’t suggest that. We are almost there but we are doing little things here and there wrong. It is not too late as it is a long tournament. If we pick ourselves up we definitely stand a chance to reach the semi-finals stage. The amount of talent we have in the side – if we put it together I think we will be fine,” said a hopeful Pathan.
When asked whether his side was missing strike bowler Brett Lee, Pathan admitted that his team has not been able to fill the big shoes left by the Australian. “Yes, of course he is a wonderful bowler. He has been a world class bowler for a long time. He has played for us in the last two seasons and we are certainly missing not having him up-front,” he said.
“We are actually playing one experienced bowler short. But then you can’t complain. We need to make sure that whoever is available is confident and does well,” he added.
Yusuf’s power hitting has been known to all and sundry but Irfan’s memorable stints with the bat have been in patches. Having matched Yusuf’s power play shot by shot, unfortunately, Irfan’s IPL 2010 destiny also matched his older brother’s destiny – both siblings have put up a valiant effort with the bat but ended up on the losing side.
In an exclusive interview with IPLT20.COM, Irfan spoke about the heartbreak, Yusuf Pathan and how Brett Lee’s absence was disturbing Kings XI Punjab.
Talking about the pain of defeat after coming close to victory he said, “You can say that it is such an irony but that is how Twenty20 goes. One over can change the match, one wicket can turn it upside down. But I am pretty happy with the way Yusuf [Pathan] is hitting the ball. And look he is going to get better each passing day. I saw his innings against Mumbai Indians and felt bad when he couldn’t finish [off the game for his side]. It was the same feeling that I have today. We both failed at the last hurdle. Even when I was batting we were on course but that one ball which I got out [on] changed the outcome of the game.”
The regret on Irfan’s face was evident when asked whether this was his best innings in IPL. He said, “Yes, it could have been better if I would have stayed till the last ball; things might have been different. Innings like these don’t come too often and when [it did] come, I should have finished it off for my team. But then I had to try out that ball with which I got out. I [didn’t have the choice] to play defensively or anything like that. I don’t regret it but I should have stayed there till the end.”
Although Kings XI Punjab lost the match, Irfan must be happy to have brought them close to a win. “You feel good when you play like that. Luckily for me, I had a good day on the field. I bowled well and batted well but yes, one minus point [is] that I didn’t win it for my team,” he said.
The left-armer exuded confidence about the performance helping him in future games this season. “This kind of a performance will help me in the future matches as well. It was important for me to get a performance like this with both bat and ball to get the confidence going. And hopefully I will win matches in the tournament,” he said.
Kings XI Punjab has a good line-up, but the points table doesn’t seem to suggest this. “Yeah, that is absolutely true that we are a pretty good side. Unfortunately, the score line doesn’t suggest that. We are almost there but we are doing little things here and there wrong. It is not too late as it is a long tournament. If we pick ourselves up we definitely stand a chance to reach the semi-finals stage. The amount of talent we have in the side – if we put it together I think we will be fine,” said a hopeful Pathan.
When asked whether his side was missing strike bowler Brett Lee, Pathan admitted that his team has not been able to fill the big shoes left by the Australian. “Yes, of course he is a wonderful bowler. He has been a world class bowler for a long time. He has played for us in the last two seasons and we are certainly missing not having him up-front,” he said.
“We are actually playing one experienced bowler short. But then you can’t complain. We need to make sure that whoever is available is confident and does well,” he added.
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