Fresh from conquering new territories, India’s latest sultan of swing began preparing for his next assignment. His five-day post-Australia sabbatical over, Irfan Pathan was back at the Vadodara nets today — and had bad news for the Pakistani batsmen.‘‘I’m working on my line and length and also on my yorkers,” he told The Indian Express.‘‘I was bowling well in Australia but I gave away too many runs there’’, he said. ‘‘I was learning with every game but I always felt I had a lot to learn. I was giving away too many loose deliveries for the batsmen to hit and I was also not bowling my yorkers or my slower balls with much effect,” said Irfan.That must be a joke, for it was an Irfan yorker that claimed Adam Gilchrist’s wicket with the ‘‘ball of the series’’. Indeed, Irfan not only established himself as the find of the tour but also went on to become the highest wicket-taker in the ODIs. Was the reverse swing something Irfan already had in his arsenal or was it something new that he developed during the tour? ‘‘In domestic cricket one generally gets to bowl with a ball that loses its shine after the first 15 overs so one learns to swing it in reverse or genuinely quite easily,” he said.If there’s one change in the bowler since leaving on the Australian tour, it’s confidence — a large dose of it. ‘‘Cricket at the international level is more mental than physical. One has to be positive all the time. My confidence was building with every game and my mindset has completely changed as the tour progressed.’’So, where once he wouldn’t have dared speculate on his inclusion in a touring team, he is today confident of making it to Pakistan. ‘‘After my showing in Australia I think I can be confident of my selection to tour Pakistan next month,” he said. ‘‘In fact I’m looking forward to playing there, though Pakistan will be quite different from what Australia was.’’What pleases Irfan most is how he’s evolved as a cricketer. Though he was confident that he would do well given the opportunity yet he was not sure whether he would have made it to the Test squad had his statemate Zaheer Khan not been injured.‘‘Luck is always important in cricket. I would rather say luck plays a very important part in cricket but luck alone doesn’t take you much further, hard work does. I had also worked hard for it. In fact I was bowling well during the side games and that, perhaps, is why I got into the Test team,” Irfan said.Irfan rather thinks that he was lucky to have played with the likes of Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and the rest. “I can’t describe what they done to my confidence. Dada was always there for any kind of help or advice. He used to ask me ‘Tell me what kind of field you want’ and told me to play my natural game’. Sachin used to come from mid-on and tell me ‘Stay positive and keep your cool’ while handing over the ball. Then there was Rahulbhai and Laxman who would ask me to remain positive and hold my head high even when I was being hit.”Irfan hasn’t yet got down from the Australia high; he’ll talk about the tour for as long as he’s allowed to. And there’ve been enough opportunities, as he’s smiled his way through various interviewers from the media, received guests and well wishers, handled congratulatory messages and also has managed to talk to his family once in a while.‘‘I thought I would rest for a few days. Keep away from cricket and spend time with my family but I have hardly got any time for that. No regrets, though. This is what every cricketer dreams of, to represent the country successfully. If people think I have done that, I’m happy.”
