The Great Game Called Cricket...

Mumbai: Irfan Pathan Tuesday said leading Baroda had helped him discover a new facet of cricket and made him a better player.

Reflecting on 2009, which has not been that good a year for him, Irfan said he was taking positives from a strong performance domestically.

“The captaincy was good. To be part of team meetings and getting involved in the selection, it was a new experience for me. The amount of responsibility you get when you are a captain is great,” Pathan, in the city for a promotional along with brother Yusuf, said.

This year has been difficult for the pacer who was dropped from the Indian team after the World T20 in England and then sidelined for two-three months after suffering an injury. He last played in a Test in April of 2008 against South Africa at home. His last appearance in ODIs was on the tour of Sri Lanka early this year.

But the 25-year-old all-rounder is not unduly worried over comments that he has lost the form that made him a sensation upon debut in the 2003-04 tour of Australia. Nor did he crib about not being the new ball bowler any more, but highlighted the new rules in ODIs that have made things difficult for bowlers.

“Natural talent will not die... With Powerplays coming in, the average and strike-rate is going to go up. That’s what happened to me,” he said.

This season, in domestic cricket, Irfan has had a satisfying show with bat and ball, scoring 397 runs at 49.62 beside picking up 22 wickets in five matches. However, the pacer was not anxious about selection for the tour of Bangladesh.

“One can expect anything. To be honest, I was expecting to be picked even for the (current) Sri Lanka series. I have done my job, it is now up to the selectors,” he said.

“2009 was not a good year for me. But the new season has been good for me… When I return (to the Indian team) I will be a better cricketer.”

Pathan did not foresee any reduction in the number of matches in the calendar and said the players must safeguard against burn-out.

“With the amount of money that has come in to cricket, there will be only an increase in professional cricket. It is up to the individual… if he feels he will get injured, he should tell the team management,” he said.

“Cricket is not going to decrease. Because of T20, it will go global.”