IPL 2017: 5 reasons why Gujarat Lions should play Irfan Pathan
When Gujarat Lions lost Dwyane Bravo to injury in the initial stages of the season, their hopes plummeted as the West Indian was the sole hope for them in a hapless bowling line-up. However, that has changed with the inclusion of Basil Thampi, Andrew Tye, Ankit Soni and James Faulkner. The bowling has looked of late although they did lose Tye to injury.
Irfan Pathan, the man who could not find an IPL team in the auction despite having a good domestic season, was roped in by the Lions for Bravo. He was played just once, in an enthralling tie against the Mumbai Indians at Rajkot, where he bowled the final over to force a tie.
The left-handed seamer, once India's premier fast bowler faded away due to a bout of injuries and loss of pace and swing. However, he hasn't missed a whole domestic season for four years now and has been playing all formats of cricket for Baroda.
However, for a team like Gujarat Lions, who do not exactly excel with the ball, isn't Irfan Pathan an ideal player to have in the eleven? Read on to find out why.
#1 The early bird advantage
Irfan Pathan has always been a threat with the new ball. He isn't the guy to bowl slow balls or cutters to bamboozle batsmen in the slog overs. Pathan has always excelled in the new ball role with his ability to swing the ball still there.
Pathan bowled just two overs in the only game he played and only one of them was early in the innings. With the ability to move the ball, Pathan has more often than not delivered on conducive pitches. With a side-on action, Pathan generates the kind of inward movement that discomforts right-handers. Gujarat could use him upfront for two overs at least.