I Owe Everything To Irfan Pathan Sir - Jammu And Kashmir's Abdul Samad
Updated - 02 Jan 2020, 01:04 PM
One of the surprising names on the board during the IPL 2020 Auction was Abdul Samad of Jammu and Kashmir. The youngster managed to get bidding from Sunrisers Hyderabad to become the fourth player from Jammu and Kashmir to bag an IPL deal. Speaking of the same, Abdul Samad thanked Irfan Pathan, who helped him to get opportunities more often than not in domestic tournaments.
Irfan Pathan has been working as the mentor of Jammu and Kashmir cricket for the last two years. Last year, Rasikh Salam, the right arm pacer, successfully got a worthy contract of 20 Lakhs INR from Mumbai Indians and went on to play a couple of games for them in IPL 2019. Now, once again, he has helped a youngster to get an IPL contract.
Abdul Samad was very impressive – Irfan Pathan
Abdul Samad had a dream year in 2019 that saw him debut in T20, List-A and Ranji Trophy. Then, he made it big with the Indian Premier League (IPL) contract under his belt when Sunrisers Hyderabad picked him in the auction and also earned a place in India’s U19 World Cup squad.
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“What caught my eye was his ability to bat on the up and also along the ground on a dry surface, where senior batsmen were struggling. The ball was keeping low, but here I saw a rookie batting without any trouble. I immediately checked his scores in the junior circuit. I was very impressed. I wanted to test him in the shorter format of the game. So, during Syed Mushtaq Ali 2018-19 season, he debuted against Nagaland and smacked an unbeaten 76 of 51 balls, helping us win the match comfortably,” said Irfan Pathan.
“There is no doubt he is a work in progress, but a couple of things make him an exciting prospect. First, he can bat anywhere and can hit sixes at will. He is a good wrist spinner too. He has got a sharp googly and bowls very accurately for a part-timer,” said Pathan, who believes Samad will get more than handful of games for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Irfan Sir has helped me a lot –
Speaking of Irfan Pathan, Abdul Samad stated that Irfan Pathan helped him all the way to make it big so far. However, the youngster knew that he must deliver the goods for whichever team he plays to make things fall in place.
“I owe everything to Irfan sir. Unka J&K cricket se Judna sone pe Suhaga jaisa ho gaya (Irfan Pathan joining Jammu and Kashmir has been the icing on the cake). I don’t think I could have made it this far. He has helped me a lot and has backed me from the word go. But I have to work harder now, as my journey has just begun,” he said.
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In the ongoing Ranji season, Samad has scored 242 runs from five innings that also includes a hundred and two fifties. He scored his maiden first-class century in their Ranji encounter against Assam. He scored an unbeaten 103 off just 72 balls in that game.
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Indian Premier League 2020 IPL 2020 Irfan Pathan
