Down but not out

DURBAN: Doomsday predictors will call the decision to release Irfan Pathan from the touring party in South Africa damaging to the young man’s career prospects. Don’t believe them.

The only impact this can — and should — have on the left-arm fast bowler is to motivate him to regain his place in the first XI. Because nothing his captain said on Monday conveys a lack of faith in Pathan’s talent. On the contrary, Rahul Dravid repeatedly emphasised Pathan’s importance as a long-term asset and the role they expect him to play in the World Cup.

“He went through a similar period in the home series against Pakistan (in 2005). But he went to England and played a lot of county cricket (for Middlesex), bowled a lot of overs. I think that was a sort of catalyst in bringing him back to the sort of form and rhythm that he’s capable of bowling,” said Dravid. “Keeping in mind that he needs a lot of bowling in match situations, we’ve taken this decision.”

Pathan will be the first to admit that he has had a forgettable tour — one wicket as opposed to 136 runs from 21 overs bowled across three ODIs. His last chance, the two-day practice game against KwaZulu Natal Invitational XI, was squandered away in a largely unimpressive outing, thereby ensuring that carrying drinks was the only way he was going to walk out to the middle in the next two games.

Compare ten days of bench-warming, then, to eight days of playing Ranji Trophy.

This decision, said Dravid, was made after speaking to Pathan who “personally felt that he needed some bowling”. “And we feel that it’s in Irfan’s best interests that he goes back and plays in the domestic matches. Because if he goes back after this tour, he gets only one game,” the Indian captain said. “This gives him an opportunity to get another game. And we, as a coaching staff and senior management group, feel that he is too important for us and we need to get him right.”

Happily, at only 22, resilience will provide a handy weapon in his battle with bad form. “He can take confidence from the fact that he’s young. And he’s not the only in international cricket who’s had to go through something like this,” said Dravid. “A bowler like Stephen Harmison had to go through something like this during the Ashes series, he was struggling really badly. So this can happen, especially when you’re young.”

Pathan, in fact, doesn’t have to look far for inspiration. Teammate Zaheer Khan spent almost a year away from the team, but not in wilderness. The time utilised in honing his skills and working on his fitness in county cricket, as Zaheer himself has admitted, has given a fresh impetus to the bowler’s career.

At the time the Test squad for the South Africa series was being announced, Pathan had seemed like a doubtful inclusion given his one-day performance. But the chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar, had persisted with him saying: “You cannot just drop him like that. He is the player for the future, we are sure he will perform soon.”

Watching the action from sidelines was hardly doing Pathan’s confidence any good either. So, while the thinktank’s faith in his talent remains intact, their strategy has been forced to change.

They’ve given Pathan a ready-made path to retrace his steps. It’s up to him to find his way back.