3 ways Irfan Pathan in his prime would have been a good fit in India's 2023 World Cup squad
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan turns 39 years old on October 27, 2023, and he is a cricketer who gave fans several priceless memories and still continues to dazzle in the commentary box.
From his first-over hattrick to his player-of-the-match display against Pakistan in the inaugural T20 World Cup tournament, Pathan has been a valuable asset for the Indian team in his prime across formats. His emergence as an all-rounder gave India great hope, considering the team never had a reliable pace-bowling all-rounder since the days of Kapil Dev.
While Pathan never arguably scaled the heights that his potential promised, with injuries playing a huge factor, he still had a career that he could be proud of and the fans could be grateful for.
Although he played his final game for India in 2012, he dabbled around domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL), before ultimately hanging up his boots in 2020.
On that note, let us take a look at three ways Irfan Pathan in his prime would have been a good fit in India's 2023 World Cup squad.
#1 Versatility
Although Team India have a prolific seam bowling department at present, with all of Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami performing at the peak of their prowess, an argument can be made for lack of versatility.
Team India's tryst with left-arm seamers is a lopsided one. There was a time when they had an abundance, which coincided with the time when Irfan Pathan used to operate. However, there is a scarcity now, with Arshdeep Singh being the sole promising candidate.
Having a left-arm seamer, who can swing the new ball is a huge asset for any side. Teams like New Zealand, Pakistan, and Australia have profited well having such candidates among their ranks. Other teams have also made it a priority to include left-arm seamers for obvious reasons in their playing XIs as well.
Pathan would have been a good fit to make the current bowling unit a well-rounded one, with the different set of skills that he brings to the table.
#2 Batting depth
The biggest question mark surrounding the Indian World Cup team has been the batting depth. The Men in Blue have preferred to play Shardul Thakur instead of Mohammed Shami just to solve that issue. Irfan Pathan would have been an ideal No. 8 for the present-day Indian team.
Not only is he capable of efficiently bowling a full quota of ten overs, if required, but also a very handy batter down the order. Pathan could add some valuable runs, at a brisk pace as well or even bat according to the situation if India are in trouble.
He played 27 innings at No. 8 in ODIs, the highest compared to other positions ranging from opening to No. 10. Of those 27 outings, he scored 464 runs at an average of 29.00 at a strike rate of 88.21.
#3 Floater
As mentioned above, the all-rounder played in a variety of positions and had relatively good outings while batting higher than his usual place in the batting order.
Irfan Pathan is a perfect candidate as a potential floater batter to combat specific situations like a leg-spinner or left-arm spin operating against the right-handed heavy Indian batting unit.
Ravindra Jadeja is the sole left-handed batter in the current Indian team and the theoretical presence of Pathan could only be beneficial to the cause.
Pathan, unfortunately, was not given the opportunity to bat in the middle order, with only two innings to his name, where he scored eight runs without losing his wicket.
Will Irfan Pathan in his prime be able to find a place in the current Indian ODI team? Let us know what you think.