J&K player cum mentor Irfan Pathan in an interview with Indian Express has said that till he is with J&K Ranji trophy team there is no place for quota system and players would be selected based om merit.
Historically, there has been a quota system in J&K with a fixed number of players get selected from Jammu and a fixed number from Kashmir. “But as long as I’m there, no quota system will be entertained,” Pathan insists. And he’s trying his best to bring about a change too.
“You can see the difference once the camp started. One day, I decided that two from Jammu and two from Kashmir will have dinner together. We indulged in team activities, like getting every player to wear their glasses on the back of their heads. It’s all about getting everyone on the same page, any which way possible,” the all-rounder points out.
Pathan has also brought in different exercises to prepare the ream for matches. “We had decided that not a single batsman will throw his arms at the ball and instead each pair had to take a single off each delivery in the nets. Here, there is only T20 cricket so there’s a focus on always playing big shots but if you have to build an innings, you need to understand the importance of rotating strike and taking singles,” Pathan reveals.
For the longer format, meanwhile, it’s the bowlers that Pathan is working on, especially with regards to their patience.
He’s trying to get them bowl the fourth and fifth stump line consistently. Pathan says it’s a tactic that he’s learnt from watching the successful Mumbai team over the years. “I asked the bowlers to bowl at the fifth stump line. There was a specific session for it. In the Ranji Trophy season, there comes a session in every game when the bowler has to buy a wicket. The one team which professionally does that is Mumbai. They bowl with a seven-two field,” he explains.
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They are small steps, but ones that Pathan feels can help J&K take a big leap going forward, and for now he’s there battling the cold and holding the reins, and enjoying every moment of it.
