You cannot run away from competition, says Irfan Pathan

Seeking to make a comeback to the Indian cricket team, injury-prone medium pacer Irfan Pathan said he is working hard on getting the seam position right and added that he is not the one to "run away" from competition.

Irfan, who is recovering from a rib injury which he suffered while bowling at the India 'A' net session in Bangalore in September, last played for India in the Champions Trophy warm-up match in England in June, before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.

"When I made my last comeback, I started to get LBWs. I even got Tillakratne Dilshan quite a few times against Sri Lanka. I have got back my swing, which I had lost until last year. Only thing is that I should work on the seam position," he told PTI here.

Irfan was selected for the Commonwealth Bank Series and played four games and bagged six wickets, which prompted the selectors to include him for the Asia Cup. He played five matches and proved his mettle by taking six wickets including 4/32 in the first match of the series against Sri Lanka.

Irfan said he wants to make a comeback into the Indian side as a bowling all rounder, but not before playing good number of domestic matches, bowling long spells and batting with gusto in death overs.

Asked about his chances of getting into the Indian side with young turks including Mohammad Shami making a mark at international level, Irfan said he enjoyed the contest and exuded confidence.

"You cannot run away from competition. In its absence, there is no fun. It is not about competition but about how well you do your job with bat or ball. If you do that at the highest level I don't think anybody can overlook you," he said.

Irfan said his first aim is to get fit in three weeks and play Ranji Trophy for Baroda. "My recovery from the injury has been really good. In next three weeks, I should start playing Ranji Trophy matches for my domestic side," he said. Irfan said he has brought changes in his training programme, laying emphasis on controlling his weight.

Asked whether he would go with a physio hired by Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh, Irfan said he had no such plans as he was comfortable with the facilities available at National Cricket Academy.

"I am not planning any such programme. There are good facilities at NCA and I am using it. NCA physio Ashish Kaushik has been helping me for the last three years," he said.

However, Irfan said he opts for personal coach during domestic matches where the gap between matches are four days, which gives little time for players to get necessary medical help to get match-fit.