Asked for help, didn't get it, says Team India discard Irfan Pathan

Courtesy: Twitter

New Delhi: Out of favour Team India all-rounder Irfan Pathan is aware that the time is running out fast for him to make a comeback into the national cricket team. 

Irfan, who will turn 33 on  27th October, last played for India in a Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka at Colombo in October 2012.

Irfan, who made his Test debut against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 2002-03, last played a Test in 2008 against South Africa.

Irfan said, "I started early this season and I’m doing everything that I could to hopefully achieve my dream in the future. This season is going to be very, very crucial. I know that I’m standing on thin ice," Irfan told ESPNCricinfo.

Recalling the period when he was playing cricket for the national side, but faced disappointment with an injury, Pathan said, "I was playing a Champions League game, the semi-final," he remembers. 

"We lost the game. The same night we took a flight [back to India]. A couple of days in between and I played a three-day game against England. Third day, the last day, I took a flight to Baroda. From the next day onwards, I played a Ranji Trophy game against Karnataka. I scored a hundred in that game, bowled more than 20 overs in an innings, so I played about nine days continuously."

"My knee flared up and I got a fracture. So, in ten days I took an international flight, played a T20 game, came to India, I was still jet-lagged, played a three-day game, scored 45 against England, bowled more than 20-25 overs [19 overs], took a flight on the third day, played the Ranji Trophy whole game, and on the last day I got injured. Who plays that? No one plays seven days of continuous first-class cricket. So that was my commitment and eventually, I got injured."

"That experience made me a person who sees the larger picture, and, you know, made me who I am. So there is no regret, but looking back in terms of, you know, when you said there [has not been much] first-class cricket - because of so many other reasons as well. It's easy for someone to write that he played less first-class cricket.

"I haven't talked about this but this is what happened before I got injured. So, if not me, even the fittest guy would get like, you know - in terms of energy, people used to call me powerhouse because I can go on the whole day and energy was never an issue, but managing workload sometimes was an issue with me. Sometimes I used to overwork, so that was the main issue and this was happening exactly that way. I needed help as well, and I asked for help and I didn't get help."

Pathan, who is currently captaining, the Baroda team in the Ranji Trophy also admitted that the current season is going to be crucial for him.