Irfan Pathan stakes strong claim to take injured Praveen's place in Indian team

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More... Posted by Nishad Pai Vaidya December 2, 2011 Irfan Pathan stakes strong claim to take injured Praveen's place in Indian team Nishad Pai Vaidya, Three five-for hauls in four Ranji Trophy games this season speaks of Irfan Pathan's return to form ŽÂ© Getty Images By Nishad Pai Vaidya Irfan Pathan, the forgotten man of Indian cricket, is making a huge impression in the ongoing Ranji Trophy and pushing his case for a comeback in the Indian team. The injury to Praveen Kumar and his subsequent withdrawal from the Test squad for the tour of Australia presents a window of opportunity for several fringe fast bowlers, but Pathan's performances in the domestic circuit put him at the forefront. With Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun in the One-Day International (ODI) setup, it would be interesting to see whether the selectors take into consideration PathanÃÔ previous performances in Australia and his current form before taking the call. Pathan has a liking for Australia. When India toured in 2003-04, he burst on to the scene with his impressive swing and movement. The then 19-year old was quite a revelation and was touted as the next pace sensation for India. By the time India toured again in 2007-08, Pathan was trying to fit into the Indian Test team and also trying to consolidate his place in the ODI side. His Man of the Match performance in the Perth Test secured a famous win for India. However, since then he has played only two more Tests and was discarded from the limited overs set-up in 2009. As the years passed, his pace dropped and was left out of the side quite a few times. It is clear that he hasn't lived up to the promise he showed on the 2003-04 tour. Injuries further dented his comeback march but he seems to be back on track in the ongoing season. Three five-for hauls in four games speaks of his dominance and the return of zing in his bowling. His stats in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season: M Wkts Avg 5WI Inngs Best Match Best 4 21 13.47 3 7-114 8-77 These stats reflect his productivity and the fact that he is returning to his best. The average is very impressive as it reflects good control. Some may say that it may be too early to bring him back into the scheme of things but one mustn't forget that a bowler like him can be very effective in Australia. His numbers in Australia: M Wkts Avg 5WI Inngs Best Match Best 4 12 41.25 0 3-54 5-117 These stats are not a reflection of some of the fantastic spells he has bowled. As discussed earlier, his spell at Perthwas crucial in securing a win. Apart from that game, he played his three other Tests on batting surfaces and couldn't make a great impact but even then he showed signs of getting good movement. His inclusion would give India flexibility because of his all round ability. In all probability, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma would form the pace attack. If India decides to play four bowlers then, a spinner would join the trio to form the bowling attack. However, if the team management wants to play the extra bowler then the Pathan option would provide good balance. He can come into bat at No 7 and play the role of the fifth bowler. It may come at the expense of Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma in the playing eleven and there is no harm in keeping that option open. There may be a few concerns about Pathan's pace or the lack of it. That argument withers away when you consider the fact that he would replace Praveen who bowls in the same pace range. Furthermore, the movement Pathan gets is very similar to Praveen, the only difference being that it comes from a different angle. The only issue may be accuracy as Pathan doesn't hit the right areas as consistently as Praveen. However, his numbers in domestic cricket indicate that he has maintained a hold over the batsmen and that may further his case for a comeback. Returning to the Indian whites wouldn't be a very easy proposition for Pathan as he would face competition from the other contenders. Vinay Kumar was a part of the India Emerging Players team that visited Australia earlier this year and did decently well. He has silenced his critics by performing well in the recent ODIs and selectors may mull including him. Mithun is also a contender as his pace can be useful in Australian conditions. He has been on the fringes for quite some time and would be in the loop for Australia. Manpreet Gony, the tall right-armer from Punjab is second to Pathan on the wicket-takers list in the Ranji Trophy this season. He is decently quick, has the height to extract good bounce and the Australian pitches may suite him. It is unclear whether he would be considered but he has the numbers to be heard. Pankaj Singh, a bowler who is similar to Gony toured Australia with the Indian team in 2007-08 and was the top wicket-taker in the 2010-11 Indian domestic season. He hasn't done much this season so far and his selection looks unlikely. S. Sreesanth and Munaf Patel seem to be out of contention. Munaf hasn't played a game since he injured his leg in England and Sreesanth has played just one match in the Ranji Trophy without making an impression. Before taking their final decision, the selectors have to consider several factors. They need to have a dynamic approach and keep various scenarios in perspective. If they take that approach they would see Pathan emerge as the front runner as his selection makes sense in more than one way.

[BeautifulGame]

There may be a few concerns about Pathan's pace or the lack of it. That argument withers away when you consider the fact that he would replace Praveen who bowls in the same pace range. Furthermore, the movement Pathan gets is very similar to Praveen, the only difference being that it comes from a different angle. The only issue may be accuracy as Pathan doesn't hit the right areas as consistently as Praveen. However, his numbers in domestic cricket indicate that he has maintained a hold over the batsmen and that may further his case for a comeback.

His movement isnt similar to PK.PK can swing the ball both ways whereas Pathan can only bowl inswingers nowadays. PK can bowl consistently long spells and dry up runs from one end.Irfan doesnt have the consistency even at his best. At his pace he may be effective in domestic cricket but wont trouble good international batsmen in Test cricket IMO.And his batting form is poor in domestic cricket to consider him as an all rounder. Having said that i like to see him given a chance in ODIs in place of Vinay in last 2 matches.Since apart from Zaheer we dont have any left arm pacers and now with the rules change and him left arm angle he could be a more effective than Vinay.

[achilles]

No. He is not ready for a tough tour like Oz.

[Lord]

His movement isnt similar to PK.PK can swing the ball both ways whereas Pathan can only bowl inswingers nowadays. PK can bowl consistently long spells and dry up runs from one end.Irfan doesnt have the consistency even at his best. At his pace he may be effective in domestic cricket but wont trouble good international batsmen in Test cricket IMO.And his batting form is poor in domestic cricket to consider him as an all rounder. Having said that i like to see him given a chance in ODIs in place of Vinay in last 2 matches.Since apart from Zaheer we dont have any left arm pacers and now with the rules change and him left arm angle he could be a more effective than Vinay.

dont know why Irfan's pace has suddenly become a problem now,wen he took the hattrick,he bowled same pace as he does now.n he got good players like Yousuf n Younis,similarly he was similar pace in Aus in 2007.that n PK's recent success proive that even international batsmen are susceptible to swing at gentle pace.besides he was never a 140+ bowler.his problem was he lost swing,which he now seems to hv recovered

[Sir john]

Bring back him.

[Old guy]

you cant compare him to pk pk will bowl at same spot all day and trouble every batsman out there even if there is hint of swing pathan would always give some boundary balls hope he improved otherwise get some young bowler in his place who gives his all but if he is actually bowling well there is no reason why he should not be selected

[cowboysfan]

I dont think so,they are going to tee off on irfan.he cant contain batsmen like PK.

[rahulrulezz]

He deserves it. Guy has been freaking consistent in last three domestic sessions. One thing he needs to realize that people do look up to pace now so he can't do bowl his 120-125 pies anymore. Even if he stays in 130-135 range with his swing, he should be very good. But not 120-128 range trundling!!

[pensionplan]

He deserves it. Guy has been freaking consistent in last three domestic sessions.

Let us look at his Ranji numbers of the past two seasons before this one (since you chose 3 seasons)and the games missed owing to injury.

[Trundler27]

unless there is a spate of injuries to our bowling line-up this selection is not very important in any case as the top 4 bowlers pick themselves at this point. However, since PK is out of the test squad Irfan is a very compelling choice and I agree with an earlier post that it wouldn't be futile to try him out in the last 2 odi's against the windies to see what he brings to the table.

[Old guy]

unless there is a spate of injuries to our bowling line-up this selection is not very important in any case as the top 4 bowlers pick themselves at this point. However, since PK is out of the test squad Irfan is a very compelling choice and I agree with an earlier post that it wouldn't be futile to try him out in the last 2 odi's against the windies to see what he brings to the table.

even i want to see him bowl and see for myself what all the fuss is about if he is same 120 km/h bowler than he wil be hammered in australia after initial overs and we cant afford that

[Ultimate_Game]

Pathan has generally done well in Australia on his previous two tours and was instrumental in winning us the Perth/WACA test in 2007 with both bat and ball. I would prefer to have him in the team over Mithun and Vinay Kumar. Plus he can at least provide solidity down the order.

[rkt.india]

Pathan has generally done well in Australia on his previous two tours and was instrumental in winning us the Perth/WACA test in 2007 with both bat and ball. I would prefer to have him in the team over Mithun and Vinay Kumar. Plus he can at least provide solidity down the order.

His batting is rubbish nowadays.

[Cricket Tragic]

The extra seamer won't get a game anyway unless there are several injuries.

[rkt.india]

The extra seamer won't get a game anyway unless there are several injuries.

that is why we need to take a young seamer rather than a tried and tested failure.

[Lord]

The extra seamer won't get a game anyway unless there are several injuries.

can if Zak breaks down or one of the young ones gets carted around.we need to take someone who has toured Aus before

[saneindian]

If not for the test side, recent performances by Irfan would surely give him an edge over others in the shorter formats. Can be a quality alternative to Jadeja for the number 7 position.

[rkt.india]

If not for the test side' date=' recent performances by Irfan would surely give him an edge over others in the shorter formats. Can be a quality alternative to Jadeja for the number 7 position.[/quote'] Agree about ODIs as a fifth bowling option and 4th seamer in Australia. There is no one better than him right now.

[King Tendulkar]

Why go for crapthan? We already have Kohli to bowl lollipops

[CoverDrive]

try him for one days we need allrounders and he can compete with jaddu for that spot. Now with odi rule changes we need more seamers and work towards the next world cup in aus. He is not quality enough for tests. One problem of playing him in odi is that he goes back to bowling slow balls and other such dross which got him success in past