Irfan Pathan to play for Jammu & Kashmir?

New Delhi: Irfan Pathan and Kapil Dev could soon be helping to develop cricket in Jammu & Kashmir as the state's association has sought the services of the duo, according to The Hindu. 

The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) officials met the 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil and the 2007 World T20 winner Irfan in the national capital on Wednesday.

Kapil has reportedly been offered to mentor the sport in the valley while Irfan could be seen in the role of a player-cum-mentor for the J&K Ranji Trophy team, the newspaper reported.

“We have had a long discussion and we have given our offers to both Kapil saab and Irfan. We are hoping to officially close the deal in the next few days,” CEO of the JKCA, Ashiq Ali Bukhari, told The Hindu. 

The report further added that legendary allrounder Kapil's visits to the valley will involve overall development of the sport as well as scouting talent. Irfan, meanwhile, will "work on a day-to-day basis" with the state team. 

“There have been talks with them (the JKCA) yesterday and I still want to play for three years. I want to play a mentor role to the young players while sharing the dressing room with them. The idea is to inspire the youngsters. There are lots of plans,” Irfan, who was dropped by Baroda after two Ranji Trophy games in the just-concluded season, told the newspaper.