Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan made a name for himself as one of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball in domestic and international cricket. Yusuf is a typical lower middle order batsman, capable of giving the innings a mighty push in the slog overs with an uncanny ability to clear the ropes. Older brother of Irfan Pathan, Yusuf came on to the international scene after Irfan.

He first donned Indian colours in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007, in the finals of the tournament no less. Yusuf opened the Indian batting in the absence of the injured Virender Sehwag and got off the mark by smacking Mohammad Asif for a six over mid-wicket to announce his arrival in grand style. Although he couldn't carry on to score a big innings, his brief cameo was enough to gauge the incredible confidence that the man had in his ability to hit the ball.

His case for a call-up to the national side was made ironclad after his performance in the inaugural IPL, where his power hitting and useful off-breaks were instrumental in Rajasthan Royals winning the title. He made his ODI debut in the Bangladesh tri-series in 2008, and although he didn't make much of an impression there, the selectors persisted with him. However, Yusuf didn't manage to replicate the success he had enjoyed in the IPL on the international stage. There were some bright moments, notably an aggressive fifty against England in late 2008, but persistent failures led to him being dropped after the Champions Trophy in 2009.

In Yusuf's defence, however, his spot in the batting order was always lower down, where he had to most often go for broke from the first ball, and thus didn't have too many chances to build an innings. He maintained a strike-rate of close to a 100, showing that he had the ability to score quickly. He has 2 ODI centuries to his name and both were incredible knocks; the first one was a match winnings 123 against New Zealand in Bangalore and the next was a stunning 105 against South Africa in Centurion - a knock where he nearly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Yusuf's last appearance for India was in March 2012 and has not made it to the national side since then due to poor form.

Though he has always been looked at as primarily a limited-overs player, Yusuf played what he himself described as his "best innings" in the finals of the Duleep Trophy in early 2010, when he hit 210 not out - first double century - to take West Zone to victory over South Zone chasing down a gigantic 536 in the fourth innings. Yusuf has managed to score a few runs in the 2013-14 domestic season but has not quite managed to maintain consistency.

IPL through the years

One of the hardest hitters of a cricket ball, Yusuf Pathan remains one of the key players in the IPL for his immaculate six-hitting ability . He has an incredible strike rate of over 130 in all IPL matches. He also hit the fastest fifty of the first edition of the IPL, getting to the landmark in just 21 balls - a record that was bettered by the Australian legend Adam Gilchrist the subsequent year who notched up his fifty off just 17 balls in the second edition of the IPL. Yusuf's IPL moment-to-remember came in 2010, when he made a cracking 37-ball 100 against Mumbai Indians and almost single handedly won the game for the Royals who went down just by a whisker. Shane Warne called that innings as 'one of the best he has ever seen'.

Yusuf was bagged by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2011 IPL auctions to sort the middle-order wobbles in the side. Unfortunately for him, he has not been able to maintain the form he once had with the Royals but eventually repaid KKR's faith by weaving a handful of game-changing knocks with the bat. After spending seven years at the KKR, SRH bought him for the 2018 season in a bid to add solidity to their middle-order. Pathan hadn't got as many opportunities in his maiden season with SRH, but he saved his best for the final game of the season in which he bludgeoned a 25-ball 45 against Chennai Super Kings, albeit in a losing cause.

By Srivathsa