Yusuf Pathan is the toast of IPL III, but according to his former state coach B S Sandhu, many loved to run him down. Now, he has silenced them all
Yusufu00a0Pathan is the toast of IPL III, but according to his former state coach B S Sandhu, many loved to run him down. Now, he has silenced them all
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Yusuf Pathan must be wondering what more he needs to do to gain acceptance. In spite of playing several outstanding innings, there are still question marks raised about his game by his detractors. Even the certificate given by Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne after his 37-ball hundred against Mumbai Indians on Saturday, has not been enough to silence his critics.
His former Baroda coach Balwinder Singh Sandhu finds nothing new in the criticism against Pathan though.
Earlier, his big-hitting was dismissed as slogging while now it is said that he targets weak bowlers. Some cynics pointed out on Saturday that he did not score many off Lasith Malinga and Zaheer Khan against Mumbai Indians.
"When I became the Baroda coach, his competitors would run him down as a slogger. He was not considered a batsman at all," said Sandhu.
"But, I was convinced of his potential. His attacking batting reminded me a lot of a young Sandeep Patil. The way he would flick the ball off his toes on the front foot between mid-on and midwicket, his bat swing etc was a trademark Patil stroke," said Sandhu.
Pathan made his Ranji debut in 2001-02, but it was under Sandhu's coaching that he established himself as a regular in the Baroda squad. Sandhu coached Baroda for two seasons before the late Ashok Mankad took over in October 2006.
"I told him the key to his game was shot selection. Not being very educated, I spoke to him in a language he would understand. The bad ball, I told him was like a goonda coming to his mohalla and needed to be thrashed while a good ball was like a decent person coming to his mohalla, who needs to be treated with respect."
As for the question mark over his genuine class, Sandhu said, "Even the best of players take time to adjust to international cricket because it is two levels higher than domestic cricket.
"It's about showing confidence in him. Shane Warne does that and he is getting the best out of him.
"After his hundred on Saturday, I messaged him: 'thanks for proving me right'."
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