Irfan Pathan already has skipper Sourav Ganguly drooling in praise of him, but the young left-arm seamer is determined to keep his focus and put up an even better show in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka on Sunday.
Pathan, who has emerged the highest wicket-taker in the ongoing one-day competition with 12 wickets from five matches, bowled a tight penultimate over in the crucial match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, which proved instrumental in India's progress to the final.
"To bowl the second last over and put your team in a good position was a fine performance. But I want to do better in the final," said the fastest-rising star of Indian cricket.
"The final is a big game. You want to put in your best, put that extra effort. At the same time you shouldn't try much -- you need to be relaxed as well."
Pathan took 3 for 34 from his nine overs in that Super League game against Sri Lanka. He bowled the penultimate over, when the hosts needed just 15 runs, and conceded only four runs.
The 20-year-old Baroda paceman has put men like Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan in shade. He feels this has been because he knows his limitations.
"One should experiment less in one-day cricket. If you do it, you are in trouble. Sometimes you don't have the control. Even when you are confident, you do it only once in a while. There is very little margin. Any slip up and you are penalised with a wide or a four."
"You don't get slips and forward short legs in one-day cricket. The best of bowlers don't get it; so who am I?" Pathan said.
No batsman is too big or too small for the youngster. He treats all of them with respect and senses a challenge from each of them.
"Sanath Jayasuriya is a good batsman. But then, in one-day cricket, no batsman is easy. I could have bowled more bouncers to Jayasuriya but you are also aware you don't have to concede too many runs and take wickets as well."
It is rare to see such realism from a quick bowler, a player who is not at all trying to compete with the lightening quick Shoaib Akhtars and Brett Lees of cricket world.
"I also want to bowl fast. But I should know my limitations. I should know whether it is helping me and my team. At some stage I will also need pace besides my swing. But, Inshallah, it would come by itself once I become stronger. After all, I am only 19-20."
Such logical approach to his career is also evident when he says he does not approach all wickets in the sub-continent as essentially similar in nature.
"All wickets are not the same in subcontinent. You get flat, good and turning wickets. At present, I am learning how to bowl the sub-continental line.
"Most of the time, I rely on what seniors tell me about a wicket. Then when I bowl, it takes two or three balls to know how it is going to behave."
Pathan has that rare mix of talent and intellect that allows him never to take anything for granted on a cricket field.
"Sometimes you know what length to bowl on a wicket but are unable to do it. When the time is good, everything falls in place. When the time is bad, even good balls don't get you wickets. I firmly believe a bowler is never bad; sometimes his time is bad."
As his stock rises, Pathan is learning to come to terms with fame and is grateful his fellow-fast bowlers are helpful and not jealous of his growing reputation.
"You feel happy about fame. But you can't afford to be swollen-headed. It all comes with a responsibility. You can't let your focus go away. People like Sachin Tendulkar and other seniors have handled it so well. It depends on how you handle fame.
"Among us fast bowlers, there is no bitterness. We back each other -- that's why we are doing so well. Even when Zaheer had too many things on his plate, he always told me the right things whenever I approached him. You also know whether someone is telling you the right things or not."
Among other aspects of Pathan's cricket, a stand-out feature is his fearlessness. It was evident when Shoaib Akhtar greeted his arrival with a quick short delivery that had him ducking and hit him nastily on the gloves.
"You realise he is a bowler and would try to do his best. He has a ball in his hand, as I have a bat in mine. He could hit me but then he could also be smashed for a four. It's all part of the game."
Pathan batted for long in the Super League game against Pakistan with Sachin Tendulkar which helped India get the vital bonus points. He terms the experience as unique.
"It was interesting to bat with him. He was telling me a lot what to do and what not to do. He also kept telling me about the importance of bonus points."
It was the bonus point earned in that match which eventually saw India make it to the final and Pakistan being knocked out of the title race.
Pathan has learnt it early how to take pressure in his stride. It held him in good stead when India toured Pakistan, the country that has for long been the final frontier for Indian cricket.
"If you think about pressure, then it comes. It's always there in international cricket -- it is how you handle it, which is important.
"I never felt pressure about Pakistan. Frankly, I don't think the others in our team worried about it either. It is because we had not won against them people thought we were under pressure. It is all a matter of winning or losing which shapes an opinion," he said.
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