NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketer
Irfan Pathan
has highlighted the significant changes in the Indian cricket landscape since the introduction of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
According to Pathan, who made his debut for India in 2003, prior to the IPL era, players aspired to be selected for the
Ranji Trophy
,
Duleep Trophy
, or the Under-19
Indian team
as a pathway to the national squad.
Speaking on the 180 Not Out podcast, Pathan emphasized the stark contrast between the past and present, stating, "You know if you want to play for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy, you know at that time only one Indian team was there. No IPL. You had to play Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, or play for India U19 and then go to the international level. That’s the only aim we had. Now things have changed. During that time, you need to go through stages to come up. Now what happens, is you can play one IPL, and get an entry into the Indian team."
This shift in the selection process has made it easier for new talent to break into the Indian squad.
The former pacer also shared his personal experience, revealing that despite having multiple fractures in his back, he continued to play in the Ranji Trophy and Mushtaq Ali trophy. His determination to represent India was so strong that he pushed through the pain with the help of painkillers.
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"I played Ranji Trophy and even Mushtaq Ali with those fractures. We couldn’t find out because the scanner had only 1.5 Tesla machines, and we went to Australia, and with their machines, I found out that I had so many fractures. I kept pushing myself with the painkillers because I wanted to play for India," the former all-rounder added.
Discussing his commitment to giving back to cricket and the Indian team, the winner of the 2007 T20 World Cup acknowledged how he turned down lucrative offers from various leagues, saying, "When I came to Jammu Kashmir cricket for two years, my contract was only 20% of the money I was leaving with the Caribbean Premiere League, where I had a contract. I could’ve played for Canada Premier League, T10 Premier League, I’m talking about 2018. It was never about the money, I wanted to give something back to the Indian team."
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