"Bowling first change cost me swing"

India team discard Irfan Pathan on Tuesday blamed his lack of success on not getting the new ball.

He said that his not getting the new ball compromised his natural ability to swing the cherry.
Making it clear that he had no complaints whatsoever, Irfan said bowling first change meant he never got the swing which he otherwise could have generated with the new ball.

"I'm not complaining that I should be given the new ball, but yes, if you are bowling first change, you are not going to get that much swing. Your wicket tally is going to reduce," Irfan told reporters.

The left-arm seamer from Baroda said even in seam-friendly countries like England and South Africa, it's never easy for a first change bowlers to get wickets.

"In terms of swing, I don't think natural talent will die. Wherever you go, even places like England and South Africa, where the bowlers get help, even there bowling first change with white ball, especially with the powerplays on, he (the bowler) is not going to get that many wickets.
His economy rate is going to increase along with his wicket-taking average. Same happened with me," he said.

Irfan, however, asserted that he was in good rhythm and primed for a comeback.
"There was a phase when I came back after injury and struggled with the ball. But that phase is gone now," he said.

Asked about his chances of a comeback into the Indian squad, Irfan said he had done his best and now it was upto the selectors to decide.

"I am preparing well to make a comeback. It has been a good season. I took 22 wickets in five matches and also scored close to 400 runs, besides captaining the side. Now it is upto the selectors to decide," he said.

"As a player we expect a lot of things. I was expecting to be in the side for the Sri Lankan tour, but that is every player's personal feeling and I had it as well," he added.

Asked about the reasons he was dropped from the team, Irfan said it was because of his lack of performance.

"When you don't perform well, you will get dropped. People think that I should have been given more chances but I personally believe that if you are performing to the expectations of what your team wants, then you are not going to get dropped," the Baroda pacer said.

Irfan felt the advent of Twenty 20 had turned cricket into a global sport and players should themselves opt out of a tournament in case they were fatigued.

"With more money getting involved in the sport, cricket is becoming more professional. Fitness will get affected. But it's upto the individual. If he feels he will get injured and needs rest, he should let the team know how he's feeling so that chances of him getting injured reduce," he said.

Irfan said leading Baroda in the Ranji Trophy was a unique experience for him.
"Captaining in domestic cricket was new to me. I came to know what happens in selection meetings, how to pick up different players. That experience is one of the few positives for me after injury," he said.

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Pathan wants Tendulkar to win World Cup

Kolkata: India discard Irfan Pathan on Friday hoped to see Sachin Tendulkar in a World Cup winning Indian team in 2011.

Wishing all the best to Tendulkar, who is on the threshold of completing 20 years of international cricket, Pathan said the country wants the batting maestro to win the cricket extravaganza.

"I really wish to see him in a World Cup winning Indian team. Hopefully, that will happen in 2011 when the cricket extravaganza comes to India (Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). I wish he will win us World Cup. The whole country wants it from him," the all-rounder said.

Recollecting his association with Tendulkar, the Baroda medium-pacer, who was often criticised for slowing down and losing swing in bowling, said: "Tendulkar had once advised him not try to 'swing' the ball too much."

"He told me to stick to my basics and told me that 'swinging comes to me naturally', so I need not try too much. It had given a lot of confidence to me," Pathan said.

According to him, the way Tendulkar has carried himself in international cricket over the years encourages him.

"It's not easy. I am 25 years old and he is playing international cricket for more than 20 years," Pathan said in praise of the Mumbai ace who had made his international debut on November 15, 1989 as a 16-year-old against Pakistan in Karachi.

"It's very difficult to handle yourself, your body and mind and playing at the top-level remaining away from family. But Tendulkar is humble so God has been very kind to him," Pathan told reporters after their Ranji match against Bengal at Eden Gardens.

"There cannot be a better role model than him. I am lucky to have shared the dressing room with him," he said.

Pathan also said he had not lost hope on making a India comeback.

"I played this match after about three months. I really batted and bowled well and particularly I bowled well in my five-over spell to Sourav Ganguly. I troubled him, extracting some good swing," he said.

"Definitely, time is not over for me. I will make a comeback with good performances. God is with me," Pathan said.

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