Former Indian player Irfan Pathan has expressed interest in coaching the Indian team in the future, thanks to the consistent growth within the side as well. He also played for India across formats for a decade from 2003 to 2012, helping the team win the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa as well.

In a conversation with Revsportz, Pathan said: “Oh yes, definitely, because I like seeing growth happen. Sitting back and watching growth happen, being involved in that, is something that gives me a lot of fun. I would like to share something here, that I really liked the coaching style of John Wright. When I first came into the Indian team, he used to work very hard, keep everyone very tight, get involved a lot amongst other things. I have seen better in technical terms of coaching, but his style is something else.”

“It was all about the players, managing everything from behind. That whole thing used to give me a lot of excitement. So, yes, in the future, when the time comes, why not? It will happen for sure,” he further added.

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Irfan Pathan also backed fellow left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed to return to the national side. However, he last played for India in the T20I series in Sri Lanka last year as well. Khaleel did well in the last two IPL seasons for the Delhi Capitals (DC) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), with a combined 32 wickets in 28 games as well.

“Arshdeep (Singh) is our No. 1 bowler in white-ball cricket and there is no doubt about it. But after Arshdeep, if we must talk about someone who has the skill – and as a left-arm fast bowler, you need a few things like the ability to bowl around the speed of 135-140 (kmph), swing the ball both ways, bowl bouncers – Khaleel ticks all these boxes, and is now improving more,” said Pathan.

“He has improved his slow bouncer, his seam position is better, and he has improved his fitness as well. So, he has all the potential to play at his peak, which is right now, and the next 4-5 years. It’s all about being in the right place, at the right time, and performing in crucial situations. He had a really good season with CSK and being there as well does help. Hopefully, he’ll be able to make it really big within the next 5 to 6 years,” Irfan Pathan concluded.