His three wickets for 49 runs in 22.5 overs against Mumbai was a far cry from the 5 for 61 against Pakistan in the first innings at Karachi.
BARODA: Around the same time last year, Irfan Pathan was the best left-arm opening bowler for India. Salman Butt, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf — Pakistan’s best batsmen — failed to open their accounts against his swing in Karachi.
Flashback January 29, 2006. After inducing an edge from Butt, Irfan followed it up with two inswingers; the first one trapped Younis, the second crashed into Yousuf’s off-stump. India had got off to their best start ever and Irfan became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the first over of a Test match.
The Karachi strip was green.
Cut to January 22, 2007. There is a good helping of green grass at the Motibagh Ground. Baroda wins the toss and Irfan has the new ball. It takes him 29 balls to get the first break through. The experienced Wasim Jaffer is trapped in front of his stumps by one that came back. His next two wickets come only in his last spell of the day after tea. Tail-ender Swapnil Hazare paid the price for leaving a ball that hit his pads. Amol Muzumdar played the ball to the gully fieldsman.
His three wickets for 49 runs in 22.5 overs against Mumbai on Tuesday was a far cry from the 5 for 61 he returned against Pakistan in the first innings at Karachi.
But, in the context of his personal form, it was equally valuable. Irfan is getting the ball to swing into the right-handers.
“I am feeling really good. Getting back my rhythm,” Irfan said after play on Day One. “You have seen how I am bowling. You must make an assessment and write about it,” Irfan said, suggesting that he would prefer to let the ball do the talking for now.
His trepidation is understandable. Irfan is not at Cuttack with the Indian team. He is not going to play the West Indies on Wednesday. He left the tour of South Africa (to play first class cricket) after hardly seeing any action. The World Cup squad must be announced by February 13 and Irfan must make the cut.
In all Irfan bowled four spells on Tuesday. He swung the ball late and seemed a yard quicker than usual. At times he seemed to be trying too hard. Muzumdar pulled him to the fence with ease and then square drove him to the boundary without much ado.
Mehmood Khan Pathan, seated in the shade of the pavilion, kept a close eye on how his sons were faring. He looked concerned when Yousuf Khan Pathan twisted a joint and was off the field for a while. But it was Irfan’s performance that was on the top of his mind.
Ashok Mankad, the Baroda coach, believes that it is just a matter of getting back confidence for Irfan Pathan.
“At this level it is not about anything technical, it is in the mind. He (Irfan) is enjoying his cricket now and that is most important,” Mankad said.
“This semifinal against Mumbai is an important game for him,” the coach said.
Important? For Irfan, it’s a matter of life and death. Well, almost.
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