Jammu & Kashmir eyeing the services of Irfan Pathan

What's the story?

India's discarded all-rounder Irfan Pathan is being looked at as a potential recruit for the next Ranji season by the Jammu & Kashmir team. It is being reported that Pathan, 33, will join the side in a player/mentor role.

In case you didn't know..

Earlier this month, Pathan had applied for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) expressing his desire to leave Baroda, whom he has represented for 17 years, in search of further opportunities. This had happened after the BCA had appointed him as captain of the side at the start of the 2017-18 Ranji season, but removed him from the post after just two matches.

Under him, Baroda first lost to Madhya Pradesh by 8 wickets – he had scored 80 and 4 with one wicket in the match – and then drew with Andhra, in which game Pathan scored 0 and 4 with again only a single wicket. Moreover, he remained unselected in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with Baroda having made it to the Super League stage.

The heart of the matter

As reported by Sportstar, Pathan, who last represented India in 2012, is nearing the finalisation of his move to Jammu & Kashmir, having held discussions with the new Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) head Ashiq Hussain Bukhari.

It has been learnt that it was a senior Jammu & Kashmir cricketer who had introduced Pathan to Bukhari and recommended that he be brought into the team.

In fact, Bukhari had even met former India captain Kapil Dev last week along with Pathan to discuss how cricket in the troubled state could be taken forward. A source, who is aware of the story, said, “The CEO did meet the two [Kapil and Irfan] to discuss the road ahead. A final decision would be taken on Wednesday’s [January 24] meeting.”

What's next?

With Bukhari currently travelling, the formalities of the deal would be completed only once he returns to India. Also, the JKCA has called upon a meeting on January 24 to decide what they would be eventually doing.

Author's Take

It is no surprise to hear of Pathan wanting to switch sides considering the sour relations between him and the BCA in the past.

What might also attract him in making the move would be a fresh opportunity to shine in top-flight domestic cricket, with the likes of Robin Uthappa also having recently moved over from Karnataka to Saurashtra and Piyush Chawla moving over to Gujarat from Uttar Pradesh.