Irfan Khan Pathan (born October 27, 1984) is an Indian cricketer. According to his parents, his name is actually Irfan Khan and not Irfan Pathan as portrayed by the media. He was born in Baroda in Gujarat. He made his international debut against Australia at Adelaide at the age of 19. He was noticed for his performance at the under-19 level and hence was picked for India's tour of Australia 2003/04 and for India's 2004 tour of Pakistan.
At the first class level, he has taken 5 wickets in an innings thrice. His spell in the final match against Pakistan in the 2004 tour was arguably his best performance in ODI cricket. He is currently part of the Indian pace attack along with Zaheer Khan.
Profile by Cricinfo:
Irfan Khan Pathan is considered by many, with reason, as the most talented swing and seam bowler to emerge from India since Kapil Dev. When he made his Test debut in Australia in 2003-04, it was with the energy of a 19-year-old, but a composed nous that was striking even for one who had been specifically readied for the purpose via the A-team and age-group channels. His instinct is not merely what to bowl to who and when, but also to keep learning new tricks. Already he possesses perhaps the most potent left-armer’s outswinger in the world, is adept at reversing the ball, and enjoys the long spell. Thus equipped, he played a big part in India’s one-day and the Test series wins on their revival tour of Pakistan. His batting reserves are expected to yield significant lower-order, perhaps even lower-middle-order, runs in the future.
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