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| Irfantastic The Swing Sultan |
| Till last year, all rounder Irfan Pathan was the favourite poster boy of Indian cricket. His swing bowling, hard hitting batting and boyish good looks made him a darling of the masses and sponsors alike. A besotted fan from Jamshedpur even went to catch a glimpse of her idol in Baroda and slept on a bench outside his home. Then came the loss of form. Some time after the beginning of coach Greg Chappell's experiments, Irfan lost pace, went for runs in power plays and became a cannon fodder for opposition batsmen. In a first of sorts, he was told to pack his bags and return home in the middle of the tour to South Africa. The Baroda boy's fantastic honeymoon was over, proclaimed the pundits. But the son of a muezzin kept his faith and proved his fitness in the Deodhar Trophy to impress chief of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar and board the plane to the Caribbean. Now he should return to the form that saw him take a Test hat trick against Pakistan last year. He can take a leaf out of Zaheer Khan's notebook. In an e-mail, his former Baroda teammate was allegedly rubbished by Chappell as a "cancer". But after a stint in the English County season, Zak is back in style. Chappell now calls him the best bowler in the Indian team's arsenal. Here's hoping Irfan too returns to his fantastic ways. Even if he doesn't, women all over the country will continue to swoon over the Swing Sultan. Ask TV actor Rakshanda Khan, who wants to dance with him in the next edition of Nach Baliye. |
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