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On 24th September, 2007, against all odds, Yusuf Pathan was included in the playing eleven for the final of the inaugural T20 World Cup against Pakistan. At that juncture, several had wondered whether MS Dhoni had pulled out another enigmatic rabbit by preferring an all-rounder, who despite the injury to Virender Sehwag, was still playing his first international game. That it came amidst the backdrop of what would become one of Indian cricket’s watershed moments, only added to the intrigue.
On the fourth ball of the Indian innings, Mohammad Asif dallied a length delivery just outside off stump. Yusuf Pathan though, instead of showing any nerves, plonked his front foot and carted the experienced pacer over his head. In a jiffy, the all-rounder had portrayed that he was the archetypal modern Indian batsman – one who wasn’t afraid to play his shots and one who looked at pressure as just another word.
Though the limelight was understandably hogged by Irfan Pathan (his younger brother) and of course, Joginder Sharma, the final had highlighted that India had another prospective dashing middle order option in their midst.
However, Yusuf Pathan had to wait slightly longer for his ODI debut, which came in June 2008 – just a few days after his pyrotechnics had powered the Rajasthan Royals to the IPL title.
Even throughout his IPL tenure though, there was palpable evidence that MS Dhoni had found another belligerent batsman lower down the order. More importantly, Yusuf Pathan had been looked upon as someone who would take the pressure off his skipper, for the latter was to soon morph into MS Dhoni - the surgical master of the finishing arts.
Yet, despite the immeasurable talent, the Indian faithful could only muster fleeting glimpses of Yusuf Pathan’s destructive ability. To put things into perspective, the all-rounder only managed a couple of half centuries in 2008 and 2009, meaning that he was constantly looking over his shoulder.
Towards the end of 2010 though, something seemed to click. Suddenly, the Yusuf Pathan who had previously only forced cursory glances of admiration, had started becoming a lot more consistent.
At the start of that year, he had also, in his inimitable swashbuckling manner, brought up his first IPL century, whereas his first international ton came in an ODI against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in December.
On both occasions, Yusuf Pathan’s teams had found themselves under strife. However, by the time the all-rounder had left his imprint on the game, they’d harbored tangible hope of success. Though that materialized in the ODI against New Zealand, that unfortunately wasn’t the case against the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
Having said that, it again provided evidence that Yusuf Pathan boasted the rare ability to turn games around in a trice – attributes that cast him as one of India’s prime lower-order options for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Yusuf Pathan's best international innings came against South Africa
To that end, he played an equally (if not more) astonishing innings against South Africa at Centurion on the 23rd of January. On that instance, the Indians stared down the barrel at 119-8, in pursuit of 268.
Yusuf Pathan though, barely flinched and conjured a sensational knock of 105 off 70 balls, which was laced with 8 boundaries and 8 sixes. That he did so against the mighty Proteas and on the latter’s home patch, only reinforced his credentials.
At that point, several had felt that Yusuf Pathan had indeed begun justifying his talent and that he, much like MS Dhoni did a few years ago, would transform into a dependable but equally aggressive option in the middle order.
To put things bluntly, Yusuf Pathan, despite all the trials and tribulations he endured, always kept the average cricket enthusiast on the edge of their seat, irrespective of whether it was due to his bravado or sheer erraticism.
Unfortunately, post that essay, Yusuf Pathan’s career charted a downward trajectory – one that reached its nadir during the 2011 Cricket World Cup, which, incidentally, was supposed to be his crowning glory.
Through that tournament, there were countless situations where India demanded thrust from their lower and middle order. However, with MS Dhoni not firing on all cylinders, that barely came to fruition. Yusuf Pathan too, didn’t do himself any favours with a string of uninspiring dismissals against the likes of England and South Africa.
Consequently, Suresh Raina was brought into the fold and the left-hander, in slightly more serene fashion, metamorphosed into the finisher India craved, ultimately helping the Men In Blue across the line against Australia (in the quarter final) and Pakistan (in the semi-final).
Once the World Cup was done and dusted, there weren’t too many avenues for Yusuf Pathan to stake a claim. For starters, Suresh Raina had started establishing himself as a fail-safe option, while Ravindra Jadeja provided a novel alternative altogether, courtesy his ability to bowl 10 overs.
In fact, when Yusuf Pathan entered the fray, he had been earmarked as a potential all-rounder. As his days in the team became numbered though, he bowled considerably lesser than what was envisioned, meaning that his batting provided him the only security. And, once that embarked on a slippery slope, there simply wasn’t any coming back.
Throughout the aforementioned period, the batting chinks in his armour also began being exploited. While he was never the most technically correct batsman, his propensity to be a tad one-dimensional with his hitting prowess failed to work a charm against high quality bowling attacks.
In isolation, he also fared relatively poorly against top-notch bowlers in the IPL – a platform that he dominated at times, but always left fans longing for more, for he never did so as consistently as many would’ve hoped.
Moreover, Yusuf Pathan’s lackadaisical fielding also became a sour point, especially as India and MS Dhoni moved into a newer era, where exceptional emphasis was placed on fielding.
Most tellingly though, the hit and miss nature of his performances meant that India were never really able to bank upon Yusuf Pathan, meaning that his runs were considered a bonus. However, with him not contributing on other fronts, he became pretty dispensable.
Unsurprisingly, just a year after the 2011 World Cup, Yusuf Pathan played his final international fixture for India. And, in a matter of months, the all-rounder that had been touted as a probable world-beater, had been battered and bruised by international cricket.
Yet, Yusuf Pathan showcased one tendency that made the Indian fans scratch their heads even more. And, for someone who has rightly been panned for his inconsistencies and his proclivity to not stand up when called upon, he somehow saved his best performances for occasions when people wrote him off completely.
The ODI hundred against New Zealand came when India required 128 runs in 16.4 overs, whereas the predicament against South Africa in January 2010 was perhaps even more perilous.
Or, for that matter, when the chips were down against the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2010, Yusuf Pathan, courtesy his ton, had brought the Rajasthan Royals to within four runs of victory. And, by the way, that century came off only 37 balls. Not too shabby, is it?
Apart from that, in the 2014 edition of the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders faced the prospect of scaling down 161 inside 15.2 overs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad – something that would’ve guaranteed them a place in the top two. Prior to Yusuf Pathan’s arrival, he had barely done enough to justify his hefty price tag at KKR.
Yet, he somehow flicked a switch and clattered a 22-ball 72-run knock – one that didn’t just leave the rest of the IPL spell-bound, but again highlighted his trait of coming up trumps when it was least expected.
Thus, it seems even more perplexing that for a cricketer who saved his best for such adverse and daunting circumstances, he couldn’t produce such outings often. Though a debate around potential factors could be prudent, it might be better to enjoy the memories Yusuf Pathan accorded the Indian fan, especially as he winds up his cricketing career.
Having said that though, one would do pretty well to not term Yusuf Pathan’s career as one of unfulfilled potential, especially after the brief displays of perfection he produced.
Nevertheless, perhaps some things in cricket just aren’t meant to be. Ironically though, for a cricketer that made his bow in the final of the T20 World Cup, thereby symbolizing the fairy tale aspect of sport, he just couldn’t write his own script.
After all, even back then, Yusuf Pathan kept the Indian fans glued to their seats. Now that he has retired, perhaps that, along with the ephemeral coup d'œil of sheer brilliance, without ever jumping into the elite echelon, would be what defines him.
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