“There is still enough time for the 2015 World Cup and I certainly see myself there”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
India batsman Yusuf Pathan has announced that he is eager to represent the national team during the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Pathan believes he performed brilliantly during this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), and is now looking to capture the national selectors’ attention once again during the upcoming Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), in which he will be representing the Kolkata Knight Riders.
“The last IPL season was very good and the upcoming season provides ample opportunity to perform and make yourself noticed,” he told PTI. “There is still enough time for the 2015 World Cup and I certainly see myself there and that is my aim at the moment.
“My season will start with Champions League followed by one-dayers and then the Duleep Trophy. The things I have been doing to improve myself as a player have worked for me.”
Pathan stated that he is determined to carry on making big scores in the CLT20, and added that the Knight Riders have great chance of winning the tournament.
“It will certainly be a good platform to showcase your form,” he said. “The season gone by has been very good with KKR and I would like to take it forward from there.
“We have a good team and a nice combination to lock horns with the best sides of the world. We have good fast bowlers, pretty good spinners and quality batsmen. So we have got all the ingredients needed to take on a good side.
“The way we played IPL season 7, we got past the best of teams with the best of players and proved our worth. We will surely take our performance forward and rise to the challenge in the CLT20. So I definitely see KKR in the top heap of the CLT20 teams.”
Pathan also lauded Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir for leading the team to victory in the IPL.
“The way Gautam Gambhir has led the side in the season gone by, it has been inspirational,” he said. “He leads by example and he has played a big role in our team’s success. You can have 10 support staff but they can never double up for a captain. On the ground, the captain is in charge and he has to take care of the 11 men.”
When asked about the Knight Riders’ poor performance in the 2012 CLT20, Pathan said: “It makes a lot difference when you play after a while. We started slow that year and the tournament is so small that there is very little time to make mistakes and improve. You miss and you are gone.
“There are just three or four matches that you get to qualify for the semis, it’s not like the IPL where you get to play a host of league matches before the final-four is decided. You can always play catch-up in a long tournament but not in a short event. But we have learnt from our mistakes and hopefully we will certainly perform better this time around. I have full confidence in my team.”