It’s unfortunate to be dubbed as an IPL to IPL player, says Irfan Pathan

What’s the story?

Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has admitted that it’s unfortunate that people term him as an IPL to IPL player in spite of doing well across all the three formats in the Indian domestic circuit. After returning from injury, Pathan has done well for both Baroda and West Zone.

He also pointed that he is playing actively in the recent past and has been successful since his return. He was forced to miss out on an entire season due to injury a few years back and revealed that he had some differences with Baroda Cricket Association that made him wait longer to step into the field after recovering from the injury.

“If you look at the recent past, I have been pretty active and fairly successful on the domestic circuit. Four years ago, I had to battle a few injuries and had to miss out on an entire season. These things can happen to anyone. When you are playing for so long, injuries are bound to happen. I have had some issues with the Baroda Cricket Association, but I have resolved those issues. Since then I have played the whole season. I have played the One-dayers, the T20s, Ranji Trophy. I have played everything and have bowled a lot of overs as well. Even then, if I am dubbed as an IPL to IPL player, it's unfortunate”, Irfan said after his heroics against North Zone in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.

Pathan also vowed to do well in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament as it is being televised on TV and the people are noticing his performance, something that will motivate him to do well and help him regain confidence.

In case you didn’t know...

Irfan Pathan was one of the vital members of the Indian team a decade ago and was instrumental in India winning the 2007 World T20. Since then, he was in and out of the Indian team due to fitness issues and poor form. He last played a match for India in 2012. He overcame all the obstacles that came his way and is back doing what he does the best.

In the ongoing Indian domestic season, Irfan had a decent outing and caught the eye of the selectors and the fans with his spell of 3/10 in 4 overs including the wickets of Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and Yuvraj Singh) against North Zone.

What's next?

With the 2017 IPL auction around the corner, Irfan, who was released by the Rising Pune Supergiants franchise, will hope that he is picked by an IPL team. He has set his base price as 30 lakhs INR (Last season, his base price was 2 crores INR and he was unsold after the first set of auctions) and this should allow the teams bid for the all-rounder and acquire him. A good outing in the IPL should help him earning his spot in the Indian cricket team.

Sportskeeda’s Take

Irfan was a star for India across all the three formats and has given the Indian fans a lot to cherish. As he rightly pointed out, it is unfair to term him an IPL to IPL player. He is 32 and still has few more years left in him. If he performs well and continues to impress everyone in the upcoming edition of IPL, he can make a comeback to the Indian team sooner than later.