Overview:
He noted he was operating with the same cautious principles he used in Tests, until studying Pathan’s style forced a shift.
Former India batter Rahul Dravid reflected on a turning point in his T20 outlook, tracing it back to Yusuf Pathan’s impact in the inaugural IPL. Pathan powered Rajasthan Royals’ championship campaign in 2008, amassing 435 runs in 15 outings at a scorching strike rate of 179.01.
Dravid recalled Pathan lighting up the tournament early with a blistering cameo and never drifting away from the aggressive blueprint. The former India skipper, who later turned out for Rajasthan Royals between 2011 and 2013, said Yusuf refused to hit the brakes, sticking to his natural game when Dravid expected him to rein it in.
“When I made my IPL debut, I learned a key lesson and back then, we at Royal Challengers Bengaluru didn’t have the best season. I was closely watching Yusuf Pathan bat. Early in the tournament, he produced a cracking innings, went hard and scored a rapid fifty. Then over the next couple of games, he played in the same attacking style and got out. I kept thinking, ‘Now he’ll surely slow it down.’ But he didn’t. He continued with that approach and then came up with another brilliant knock,” Dravid said in a video on YouTube channel.
Dravid pointed out that Yusuf’s batting pattern altered his perspective on how to go about a T20 knock. He noted he was operating with the same cautious principles he used in Tests, until studying Pathan’s style forced a shift.
“Over 13 or 14 innings in the IPL, he was impressive in only three or four times, but those were genuinely match-shaping knocks. Watching him made me realise that’s the mentality you need for T20 cricket. I’d been approaching T20 with a Test-match mindset valuing your wicket. Here, it’s different: 11 players just have to get through 20 overs,” he added.