Veteran India cricketer Yusuf Pathan heaped praise on his younger brother Irfan for unearthing and mentoring a talented cricketer like Abdul Samad who is currently playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the ongoing 13th edition of the IPL 2020 in the UAE.
Pathan, the former Indian all-rounder, was the first one who spotted Samad during a cricket trial two years ago in Jammu and Kashmir – where he has been serving as player-cum-mentor for the past few years.
The 18-year-old leg-spinner has been trained and mentored by Pathan over the past 2 years and after impressing with his ability being a fearless hitter and good finisher, he recommended his name to VVS Laxman for the Hyderabad-based franchise ahead of the IPL 2020 auction – where the all-rounder was picked by the SRH for 20 lakhs INR for the ongoing tournament.
Samad who hails from Kala Kot, Rajouri, a small village of Jammu and Kashmir, has been brilliant so far in the ongoing IPL 13, scoring not out 12 off 7 balls including 1 four and 1 six at a strike-rate of 171.43 in his IPL debut match against Delhi Capitals on September 29.
Well, the all-rounder was more impressive in his second IPL 13 game for SRH, as the right-hander has not only scored 8 not out but also finished with the impressive bowling a spell of 21/1 in three overs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday (2nd October) in Dubai.
The leg-spinner defended 28 runs off the last over of the Match 14 of the IPL 2020 with MS Dhoni and Sam Curran at the crease to help SRH register their 7-run win over CSK to complete their second successive victory in the ongoing tournament on Friday.
Impressing with the young talent, Yusuf Pathan took to his official Twitter handle to praise Samad for his efforts in the IPL 2020 so far, as well as, appreciate his brother Irfan for mentoring the young lad while jokingly said that he can become a good scout for IPL teams.
He wrote on Twitter: “A great find Irfan. Abdul Samad is off to a proper start with both bat and ball, a lot of potential in him. Tu toh acha scout ban sakte hai IPL teams ke liye @IrfanPathan,”
Meanwhile, Irfan also reacted to his elder brother’s tweet by saying he has been unofficially essaying the role of a scout for the teams. He tweeted: “Haha lala mere unoffcial scout to already hoo;)”
