The broken dream of Irfan Pathan and his need to reinvent himself in the modern era of Indian cricket

It’s been the Indian captain’s modus operandi to pressurise the batsmen with his slow bowlers and diving, pouncing, hare-paced fielders. Irfan has been, at best, a safe option in the field. His place in Dhoni’s chakravyuuh isn’t quite defined yet.

With the options of Jadeja, Ashwin and even Bhuvneshwar Kumar available, India isn’t really in desperate need of another bowling all-rounder.

Irfan Pathan can make a comeback only as a wicket-taking option for Dhoni. And irrespective of what Greg Chappell and his ilk have tried to make us believe, it’s the bowler Irfan who won fans’ hearts on his arrival in international cricket.

The left-arm bowling remains a charm, but the days are long gone when Irfan Pathan was the next Wasim Akram. He made his debut as a 19-year-old whose swing drew oohs and aahs from the viewers. Close to turning 29, he’s now fighting to reinvent and make himself more meaningful in a much different era to the one which witnessed his peak.

There aren’t any individual heroes now. Sachin Tendulkar, with whom he made his highest ODI score, has retired from limited overs cricket; the seniors of his time are themselves involved in their personal comeback battles, and this new look, new era team requires not just skills, but athleticism of the highest order.

Irfan Pathan is no longer the all-rounder India dreamt of

Now what is left are the remnants of a dream shared by millions a decade ago, shattered by team politics, injuries and a lost talent that made people jump in joy at the sheer potential of the lad.

Irfan Khan Pathan’s comeback is burdened with the hope of revival of those lost dreams, and how he reinvents himself will be the real challenge for the son of the muezzin from Baroda.