Form is temporary but class is permanent. In sport, more often than not it’s consistency that makes legends while heralding new stars on the horizon. Its an inescapable fact and every sportsman understands this. Yusuf Pathan is no different.
The hard-hitting 30-year-old was a runaway success at the 2007 T20 World Cup, but has slipped down the ladder over the years. True, Pathan’s occasional blitz has seen him strike two centuries and three half-tons in his 57 appearances for India in ODI and therein lies the tale.
Out of the Indian team reckoning for the past year-and-half, the Baroda player, who also doubles up as a handy off-spinner, showed commendable temperament during his 32-ball 70 to go with his two-wicket bowling effort against the West Indies A on Sunday.
At the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday, focus will be on Pathan as well as the in-form skipper and opening match centurion Yuvraj Singh as they bid to recreate their Sunday afternoon magic, in India A ’s second one-day outing against their Caribbean counterparts.
With the selectors keeping a close eye on the team’s performance, the senior duo will be keen to grab attention. In the midst of the senior stars albeit currently out of the spotlight, Mandeep Singh has come into the mix quite well. Robin Uthappa, who had a fruitful outing against the New Zealand A team, too looked set for a big knock before being dismissed in the 20s.
The determination of the players to do well in this series was palpable at the training session on Monday, which was optio-nal for Sunday’s playing eleven but mandatory for the rest. Despite the option, most turned out to slug it out at the KSCA.
The same winning combination may not take the field on Tuesday, going by coach Lalchand Rajput, who said, “There will be opportunities for all players. But at the same time we have to win as well. We have to manage both things.”
On the opposition which went from sizzling fireworks to damp squibs, they do have a lot of firepower in the form of their young bowlers, who earned praise from Yuvraj. “(Ronsford) Beaton — that kid looks really special. He looks the future of West Indies bowling. He reminded me of Curtly Ambrose. Obviously, Curtly was great. I think he has a lot of potential, and they have a very good attack. It wasn’t an easy-going attack which you get in the A side.”