Kolkata: His blistering knock of 63 runs of 41 balls went in vain against Gujarat Lions on Sunday. But Yusuf Pathan is confident that Knight Riders will make it to the qualifiers this season. The equation is quite simple for the Knights as they need to win at least two matches out of the remaining four. The big hard hitting all rounder is confident that the brand of cricket the Knights are playing this season holds them in good stead for qualification in the knock out stage. The Baroda all rounder seemed to be in a relaxed mood at the team hotel while giving an exclusive interview to xtratime.in. Here are the excerpts:
Do you think the loss against Gujarat Lions on Sunday will act as a wakeup call for the team?
To some extent yes, I would say it was a wakeup call for the team. This kind of game is good as we will know where we are lacking. But the bottom line is we need to put in that extra effort to avoid such mishap in the coming matches.
It is noticed whenever Yusuf Pathan fires invariably the team ends up on the winning side. But that did not happen against Lions. What according to you was the main reason for the defeat?
We had a miserable start. In spite of losing 4 wickets for 24 runs, we still managed to set a good total. We bowled badly in the first six overs as well . It gets difficult to come back when you do not do well in the first six overs. We lost the way there.We had a bad day at the office on Sunday. At the same time you also need to give credit to your opponent.
The equation for the Knight Riders to qualify is to win two out of the four matches remaining. Last season also they were in a similar situation as they had to win only one match out of the remaining two. But they failed to qualify. What is your take?
Insallah , the quality of cricket we played this season has given us the belief that we can go through. The good thing this season is we are winning close matches which was not the case last season. We won matches from nowhere. We did well both with bat and bowl. Overall we are doing well as a team. We will come back strongly and are backing ourselves. We are confident of winning our next four matches.
Do you think had Brendon McCullum’s decision went in favor of KKR, it would have been a different story?
It would have been good for us had we got the decision in our favour. But these are all part of the game as we know mistakes do happen. The umpires are also human and so they can make mistakes. Even technology like the hawk eye is not full proof. You have to accept sometimes decision go for you, sometimes it won’t.
The Yusuf Pathan we are seeing this season in IPL is quite different from the one we know. Yusuf Pathan was more of a power hitter earlier. But Yusuf Pathan is playing more mature cricket these days. What has been the secret for this transformation?
This is my ninth season in IPL. I have researched on my game as to what should be my approach. During the first three years in KKR, I used to get very few balls to score from. I didn’t get more than five overs. So I had no other option but to hit and hence chances of getting out were much more. Now I have decided to rotate the strike and give my wicket. I have realized the time I spend at the crease it plays on the minds of the opponent. I discuss with my brother Irfan. I know I have the ability to score 20-25 runs in the over. But at the same time I look to rotate the strike as well. I have worked hard and I am happy it is clicking.
The matches coming up for KKR are all crucial. Among the four matches remaining KKR will clash against the likes of Rising Pune Supergiants and Royal Challengers Bangalore. So, do you think it will be tough?
We are not too concerned who our opponents are in the coming matches. If you are aspiring to go to the final, you should be ready to take on the best. Our goal is to win the trophy. We need to keep the practice sessions enjoyable.
But to face someone like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, how tough will it be?
Look, we will not play against any individual. But we will take them as a team. It’s not about Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni. But it’s about a team that consists of Kohli/Dhoni and 10 others.
Lastly how is your injury?
It’s perfect now. The good thing is I did not get hit on the bone. Good that we have a gap of 5 days which is enough time to recover fully from the injury.