By IANS
New Delhi : T.A. Sekhar, chief coach of premier bowling academy MRF Pace Foundation, Friday said that the international career of young fast bowler Irfan Pathan, currently out of the national team following a poor run, can be revived.
Pathan, now 22, rose rapidly from the under-19 team to spearhead India's bowling attack. But recent failures have put a question mark over his career.
"Talent can never die. We can only polish it. Dennis Lillee and I have discussed this thing and we think that his career can be resurrected," Sekhar said here on the sidelines of a talent hunt programme for fast bowlers.
The chief coach of the Chennai-based academy indicated that it would depend on Pathan on how eager he is to learn and resurrect his career.
"Even Chaminda Vaas at this age is eager to learn," Sekhar said, referring to the 33-year-old Sri Lankan pacer.
Sekhar also rubbished claims that the responsibility to perform as a batsman affected Pathan's bowling.
"It was an assumption created by the media. He has the talent to perform as a batsman too, so what is the harm," he said.
Disastrously though, Pathan's swing bowling and his ability to take early wickets went missing some time back and he was called midway from the tour to South Africa last year. Yet he made his way to the World Cup squad.
Sekhar, who represented India in two Tests in the early 1980s, has coached Pathan, Munaf Patel and Sreesanth at the academy in Chennai.
On the injuries of Sreeanth and Patel, Sekhar said it is the team management's responsibility to take care of the bowlers.
"I don't know about his (Patel's) problem because I am not with the team. But we have a foreign physiotherapist and also had a foreign coach. So it is up to them to take care of the bowlers," said Sekhar.
"When Munaf started his career he was bowling at 140 kmph. Even Troy Cooley, who was England's bowling coach at that time, asked me from where did we get this bowler.
However, the rookie pacer has now cut down his pace and is concentrating on his line and length.
"Now as his pace is concerned, I think it is the team management's decision to do it. Whatever the team management's decision, it is the duty of the bowler to do it," Sekhar said.