Former national team all-rounder and present coach-cum-mentor for Jammu Kashmir cricket team IrfanPathan on Monday said that budding cricketers of Jammu and Kashmir need to enhance their performance in domestic cricket to be selected for the Indian team.
Interacting with media persons, Pathan said that the state does not have a dearth of talent, but players need to have a positive approach, if they aspire to wear the national team’s jersey. “I am here (Jammu and Kashmir) since the last 10-12 days. This is my first visit to Jammu and I found that the state has abundance of raw talent, but the players need good experience,” he said.
Pathan also underlined the need of having a positive approach for selection, instead of blaming the circumstances. “I interacted with a lot of budding players in Kashmir, most of whom feel that Kashmiri players are deliberately ignored. I do not agree with them (cricketers) and have asked them to refine their performances, so that the selectors are left with no choice, but to select them,” he said.
“Parvez( ParvezRasool) was selected in the Indian team after his good performance in the domestic season. It shows that the players from Jammu and Kashmir are selected,” he said, adding, “The players need to refine their performance, instead of getting caught in the negativity.”
“If one scores 800-1000 runs in a season, it is hard for the selectors to ignore him. Similarly for bowlers, if they only set a target to bag 20 wickets in the domestic season, it is not enough to be selected for the national team as the competition is really stiff,” he said.
Pathan also said that the state urgently needs better infrastructure to enhance performances.
“I feel that over the years, the state has not developed the required infrastructure for cricket. There is a need of three to four grounds. Turf pitches at district level are also a requisite these days because all international, national and IPL matches are played on turfs,” Pathan said.
“I have already recommended setting up of turfs to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) and I hope that it will be turned into a reality soon,” he said.
Earlier, 80 budding cricketers of Jammu participated in the day-long training session conducted by Pathan.