Dubai: Yusuf Pathan, the elder of Pathan brothers and a two-time World Cup winner with Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s India, feels Virat Kohli & co has it in them to bounce back in the ICC T20 World Cup after their 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the opening game here on Saturday.
“I don’t think it will be difficult for India to bounce back as our players have been playing good cricket. All the India players are hardworking and they know how to handle pressure. We all should keep supporting the team and the players will definitely do well. We are not out of the tournament after one loss. India still have a chance to win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and I hope that we win the T20 World Cup,” said Pathan, a big hitting allrounder who was part of the first World T20 winning team in 2007 and then again the 50-overs World Cup in India in 2011.
A fearsome striker of the ball and a handy part-time spinner, Pathan will be a part of the Maratha Arabians squad in the Abu Dhabi T10 next month after having retired from all forms of cricket in India earlier this year. “I am working hard to give some joy to my fans during the Abu Dhabi T10. The tournament is a good opportunity for me to play for my fans,” said Pathan, who has scored 4,852 runs and taken 99 wickets in T20 cricket.
MORE ON T20 WORLD CUP
- ICC T20 World Cup: Fancied Australia need to keep a wary eye on Sri Lankan spinners
- Faf du Plessis to lead Bangla Tigers in Abu Dhabi T10 this year
- Abu Dhabi T10: Deccan Gladiators retain Sri Lankan Wanindu Hasaranga
- Cricket fans set to enter Blockchain era to 'own' golden moments of stars
- Abu Dhabi T10 League ties up with Reliance arm as exclusive partners
When asked about his approach to the T10 format, the 38-year-old said during a zoom interaction on Tuesday: “My approach to T10 will be the same I have had for other formats. I will play my natural game. I’ll put my strategies in place according to the wicket in Abu Dhabi. We’ll need to score at a quicker rate in T10, so I am practicing accordingly. It’s important to adapt to the conditions as well.”
Pathan, who has been a valuable member of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise during their two IPL triumphs, observed that the Abu Dhabi T10 will not only be about big hitting and boundaries, “T10 is just like any other format in cricket. One can’t just go out there and hit boundaries just because it’s a T10 game. One has to strategise which kinds of shots to play according to the situation in the T10 game as well. It’s very important for a player to handle pressure and adapt to the situation quickly.”
The Sky247.net presents Abu Dhabi T10, powered by Wolf777 News, will be played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi from November 19- December 4, 2021.
