Full Name: Irfan Khan Pathan
Born: 27 October 1984, Baroda, Gujarat
Major Teams: Baroda, India.
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium Fast
Test Debut: India v Australia at Adelaide, 2nd Test, 2003/04
ODI Debut: India v Australia at Melbourne, VB Series, 2003/04
THE son of a muezzin in the Juma Masjid in Mandvi, Gujarat, rises to cricket stardom. A dream script, isn’t it?
Irfan Pathan has been no day dreamer, though. He has written and worked to the script with sweat and style.
Born on October 27, 1984, in Baroda, Pathan has come a long way — literally and figuratively — from his family’s one-room quarter at the Juma Masjid in Baroda. “Guddu”, as he is lovingly called by his near and dear ones, shares the tiny living space with his father Mehboob Khan, mother Shamim Bhano and other siblings.
WHEN it was difficult to get even two square meals a day, cricket was farthest from the scheme of things in the Pathan household. A family of five, living in a one-room space in a masjid, couldn’t afford to have many wants.
As a muezzin in a masjid in Baroda, Mehboob Khan was paid Rs 1200 a month, with which he had to look after his wife Shamim Bhano, and three children — two boys and a girl. A small perfume shop outside the masjid supplemented the Pathans’ income a little. Still, they couldn’t think of an existence other than the mundane.
The boys were, however, crazy about cricket. A plastic bat and ball were enough for Irfan and his brother, who enjoyed playing cricket in the mosque backyard. But the mosque authorities were not amused. They told Mehboob Khan to ‘discipline’ his kids. He tried to reason with them but he couldn’t convince the maulavis, and had to tender an apology for the ‘wild ways’ of his sons.
Mehboob Khan, however, could not stifle the boys’ enthusiasm for cricket. He tried to convince his sons that “cricket is a rich man’s game,” but in vain.
Shamim Bhano wanted her sons to become Islamic scholars. But the boys were obsessed with cricket. A sympathetic uncle, Ahmed Mia, approached Baroda Sports Club cricket coach Mehndi Sheikh for help. Since the club was very close to the masjid, Mehboob Khan decided to send the boys for cricket coaching. Torn cricket shoes and broken bats were bought from the second-hand Sunday market as the family could not afford new gear.Pathan modestly admitted, after he made it big, that “our wants were limited and our parents fulfilled all our small, small demands”.
Pathan received his first proper cricket kit when he was drafted into the under-14 team. And when he was selected for the under-15 squad, the other players in the team collected money to buy him a kit bag. But it was at the under-15 national camp that Pathan’s cricket profile was to change for ever, as the coach in charge noticed the boy’s ability to bowl fast, and swing the ball too. The rest, as they say, is history.
Pathan scored bowling hat-tricks in the Under-15 Asia Cup and the Under-19 World Cup, in New Zealand. His nine-wicket haul against Bangladesh in the Under-19 Asia Cup at Lahore last year, got him his third hat-trick. He first smashed 34 off 44 balls, which included four boundaries and a huge six, and then captured nine wickets for 16 runs.
A student of MESR School in Nagarwada, in recent months it has been all play and no studies for Pathan. He missed the Gujarat Secondary Education Board Examination because of the Pakistan tour. But he is determined to pursue his education. “I think education is very important. Playing for India is obviously a huge thing, but I would prefer completing my education alongside.”
Irfan Pathan has not disappointed his admirers. He is still modest about his achievements. His wants are limited too. His hobby continues to be “gossiping with friends” on the steps of the Baroda Juma Masjid. And he has not yet mustered the courage to visit the posh areas of the city, though he has now reached a position where anything material is within his reach.
A true mama’s boy, Pathan relishes his mother’s biryani more than anything else. Small wonder, that this youngster packs such a powerful punch.
Test Matches : Batting & Fielding
M I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St
7 8 1 178 49 25.43 39.91 0 1 2 0
Test Matches : Bowling
O M Runs W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
259 65 776 18 43.11 4 - 100 0 0 86.3 3.00
One Day Internationals : Batting & Fielding
M I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St
26 19 7 209 38 17.42 74.91 0 0 4 0
One Day Internationals : Bowling
0 M Runs W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
229.3 10 1147 46 24.93 4 - 24 1 0 29.9 5.00
- true say bro, a gujrati speaking pathan lol