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Irfan Pathan is regarded as one of the top fast bowlers for India during his prime as a cricketer. The left-arm seamer troubled the opposition teams with his swing and pace. He helped India win numerous matches with his skills.
Injuries did not allow Irfan Pathan to have a long career, forcing him to retire at the age of 35 in 2020. The southpaw made a massive impact with his bowling performances and still continues to do a decent job for his teams in the T20 leagues of retired cricketers.
Pathan also works as a commentator now. After the second ODI of India vs Australia series yesterday, former seamer made a bold prediction for Indian cricket and wrote on Twitter:
"One left armer will be ready for team india after this ipl is over."
While Pathan did not mention any player's name, fans on Twitter assumed that he could be referring to young fast bowlers who can do the job which he used to do once upon a time for Team India.
Looking at the IPL 2023 squads, here's a list of three fast bowlers whom Irfan can be referring to.
#1 Khaleel Ahmed, Delhi Capitals
Khaleel Ahmed has been a wicket-taking bowler in the IPL. The left-arm fast bowler has scalped 48 wickets in just 34 matches at an economy of 8.04. Ahmed has the ability to swing the new ball and troubled the batters a lot with his pace in IPL 2022.
It's little surprising to note that the selectors have not given him a chance to play for India despite his top performances in IPL. He played his last international game back in November 2019 and has not even been selected even in India's second-string squads for some series.
If Ahmed has another stellar IPL season with the Delhi Capitals, he could receive another opportunity to play for the nation.
#2 Mohsin Khan, Lucknow Super Giants
Mohsin Khan was with the Mumbai Indians in 2020 and 2021 but did not get an opportunity to play for the franchise. The Lucknow Super Giants signed the left-arm fast bowler in 2022, and he emerged as one of their top performers in the bowling unit.
Khan scalped 14 wickets in nine matches, with his best bowling figures being 4/16, with an economy of under 6. Batters struggled to play big shots off his bowling owing to his perfect lengths and variations. One more impressive season for LSG can land Mohsin in the Indian T20I squad, starting his journey to becoming India's next Irfan Pathan.
#3 Mukesh Choudhary, Chennai Super Kings
Mukesh Choudhary made his IPL debut last year for the Chennai Super Kings last year and bowled some impressive spells. The left-arm pacer from Bhilwara picked up 16 wickets in 13 matches.
In the absence of Deepak Chahar and Adam Milne, Choudhary shouldered CSK's fast-bowling attack's responsibilities. He can swing the ball like Pathan, and if he manages to improve his economy rate, Choudhary can earn a call-up to the national squad.
