‘My fitness focus is paying off’

Apart from his sheer enthusiasm, the most striking aspect of Irfan Pathan’s game has been — touch wood — his level of fitness...

Apart from his sheer enthusiasm, the most striking aspect of Irfan Pathan’s game has been — touch wood — his level of fitness. When senior bowlers in both teams broke down with distressing regularity through the series, Irfan and Balaji — to Sourav Ganguly’s surprise — maintained their energy levels through the day in terrible conditions.

To Irfan, though, fitness is second nature. ‘‘Ever since I started playing I placed a lot of emphasis on fitness. To be a good fast bowler you have to be a fit person, or all the technical aspects you’ve picked up will be of no use’’, he told The Indian Express today.

And it’s not just an Irfan thing: it’s a matter of routine at Ranji level. ‘‘My coaches and colleagues in Baroda also gave a lot of importance to this aspect…Even my days at the MRF Pace Foundation came in very handy. The amount of hard work that I used to put in during my practice at the nets in Baroda or at the MRF camp in Chennai are now slowly bearing fruit.’’

Story continues below this ad

For fitness and fast bowling, though, there’s no parallel to Kapil Dev, and the Rookie has picked up tips from the Legend. ‘‘Kapil was at the Kolkata camp before we went to Pakistan. Even he stressed the fact that to be a good fast bowler one has to be physically fit’’, said India’s new pace find.

When it comes to fitness it’s the Aussies who set the bar for others to match — and a debut tour Down Under is something only the lucky few experience. ‘‘I was indeed lucky to make my debut in Australia. Any tour Down Under is regarded as the toughest and after I performed reasonably well in Australia I was confident that I will do well in other countries too’’, said Irfan.

Pakistan was a completely different experience. ‘‘The pitches Down Under were helpful to the bowlers with pace and bounce but in Pakistan they were mostly batting-friendly wickets.’’

So how did he achieve his success? ‘‘In Pakistan I relied on swing and worked on a good line and length. I didn’t do that in Australia; I gave the Aussies lot of room to hit on either side of the wicket but this time I think I have succeeded to a certain extent.’’

Story continues below this ad

The Pakistan tour also saw him establish his batting credentials, with more than one expert saying he could be groomed into an all-rounder. Irfan is clear about his priorities — ‘‘bowling is my strength’’ — but is aware that the team would benefit from an extra dimension to his game. ‘‘I will look to improve my batting a bit as it helps the team cause.’’

Is he trying to fill the one slot that has been vacant in Team India for the past decade? ‘‘I’ve just started and there’s a long way to go.’’

Right up, in fact, is the most dangerous period: a three-month lay-off before the Asia Cup. Although it’s a welcome break after seven months of very hard cricket, it’s often tough to find rhythm when you’re back in action.

The trick, Irfan says, is to keep in shape. ‘‘I will rest for a while but I will start practicing very soon. John Wright and (trainer) Greg King have given everybody certain routines to follow and that will be enough to keep me in good shape.”