Ajay S Shankar of the The Sunday Express follows Irfan Pathan’s progress as he goes back to the basics.
Pathan finally sought the help of Dennis Lillee and the MRF Pace Academy, the place where he was groomed initially.
Lillee says,
“Irfan called us up in May, after the World Cup. He had been out of touch for over a year-and-a-half, we had been waiting, wondering why it took so long. Well, he has come back to where he had started. He has accepted that he needs some help and I welcomed him with open arms.”
The Australian legend rubbished former India coach Greg Chappell's suggestion that Pathan needed work on mind as well as body.
“When you are not bowling well, obviously your mind gets cluttered but that wasn’t the cause, that was the effect. When you coach, you should stick to coaching about what you know.”
TA Sekar, the director of the MRF Pace Academy, explains the re-education process:
“We made him walk up to the bowling crease first, then jog, without holding the ball. Imagine, an India player bowling without the ball! With the ball, the mind is always worried about bowling good length, hitting the stumps, outswing, inswing, everything. Without the ball, your thoughts become more focused on your action.”
