IPL 2020: 'Irfan Pathan has told me that if I look to score big runs, I could play for India one day' - Abdul Samad

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)'s promising young all-rounder Abdul Samad has said that Irfan Pathan had instilled in him the confidence that he could go on to play for the national team if he displayed the ability to play long innings.

Samad said the same while talking about his evolution as a cricketer, in a video shared on the franchise's YouTube channel.

The story of Abdul Samad 📖His journey from a small town in Jammu and Kashmir to making his #Dream11IPL debut!@ABDULSAMAD___1 #OrangeArmy #KeepRising #IPL2020

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) November 13, 2020

Abdul Samad recalled taking to the game at the age of eight, playing on the streets of Jammu and Kashmir:

"I started playing cricket when I was eight years old. I used to play in my locality and streets, and we used to go cover the wicket in the morning. Whoever reached the wicket first would play on that wicket," said Samad.

Samad further said that while his father, a sportsman himself, encouraged him to pursue the game, his mother wanted him to concentrate more on his academics.

"My father has also been a sportsman during his time. He was a national volleyball player. My mother also supported me, but she used to ask me to pay more attention to studies than cricket. But my dad wouldn't say that. He used to ask me to do what I like," continued Samad.

Abdul Samad spoke about being disheartened after being dropped from the Under-19 team after failing to deliver the goods and how he subsequently put in the hard yards to improve his game.

"In 2017-18, I played Under-19 one-dayers but couldn't perform, and I was dropped from the team. I felt really bad that I didn't get selected in Under-19, and the next year, I started practising more," said Samad in this regard.

Abdul Samad revealed that he had never been a great performer in junior cricket, as he used to play with aggressive intent on each delivery, which meant that he often threw his wicket away.

"My performance was always average in whatever junior cricket I have played. I didn't perform much because I used to get out,, as I was trying to hit each ball for a big shot. My strike rate was good, but I could not get a lot of runs," said Samad.

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Abdul Samad on Irfan Pathan's influence in his cricketing career

Abdul Samad became more selective in his strokeplay following Irfan Pathan's advice [P/C: iplt20.com]

Abdul Samad recollected having told Irfan Pathan that he was unable to score the big runs due to a lack of patience when the latter had come to a training camp in Jammu and Kashmir.

"After playing Under-19 one-dayers when we came back home, there was a camp set up, where Irfan bhai had come. Irfan bhai saw me batting, and he asked why I was not able to score the big runs. I told him that I lacked a little patience," said Samad.

Abdul Samad then said that the former India allrounder told him to play the long innings, as doing so could help him break into the Indian national team.

"He told me then that I should hit but a little selectively. He told me that if I look at scoring big runs, then I am capable of playing for India one day, " said Samad in this regard.

The SRH player reminisced his excellent performance on his debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament as the turning point of his career.

"After playing Under-19, I was called for Syed Mushtaq Ali trials after which I made my debut, and my journey in senior cricket began because on my debut I made 76 not out against Nagaland and picked one wicket. That was a turning point for me in my career," revealed Abdul Samad.

Abdul Samad further pointed out that he continued his excellent performances in last season's domestic limited-overs tournaments, where his big-hitting game came to the fore.

"Last year I debuted in Vijay Hazare Trophy, where my performances in matches was good. I hit 15 sixes, and I made 240 runs in 8 matches. Then the next tournament was the Mushtaq Ali tournament. We played 6 matches, and we won 4. I was batting in the lower order and gave a decent performance. I was not out in 3 matches. I had hit 10 sixes in 4 or 5 matches," revealed Samad.

Abdul Samad then said that following his fine performances, he was called up for IPL trials by Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians, before he expressed his delight at being picked by the Orange Army.

"Then I went to 3 places for IPL trials: Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians. When my name came on TV during the IPL auctions, and the Sunrisers Hyderabad picked me, I was very happy that day, as I was finally picked for the IPL," concluded Samad.

Abdul Samad has provided ample proof of his potential in his debut IPL season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The big-hitting all-rounder scored 111 runs for the franchise in eight innings, doing so at an excellent strike rate of 170.76.

Abdul Samad drew a lot of praise for almost snatching a victory for the Sunrisers Hyderabad from the jaws of defeat. Samad, in the company of Kane Williamson in the Qualifier 2 in IPL 2020 against the Delhi Capitals, narrowly failed to take his team over the line.

100% agree Yuvi

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) November 9, 2020