[IPL] It Was Just A Matter Of Time: Yusuf

The Kolkata Knight Riders' big-hitting allrounder Yusuf Pathan says he was confident of striking form in IPL and help his team win the game. "I was always confident that I would get my A game to the fore very soon. Tonight, I got my chance - the situation was perfect and it is heartening to put up a match-winning performance for my side," Pathan was quoted as saying by iplt20.com after Kolkata Knight Riders chased down a 143-run target set by the Sunrisers Hyderabad with seven wickets in hand.

Promoted up the order at number four, Pathan hit a 28-ball 39 to help his team wrest the initiative from the hosts SRH. "I was certain that if I get to bat at the top of the innings and face more deliveries, I will help my team win. It is a great position to bat at since I get a chance to plan my innings and assess the situation better," the 31-year-old said. The right hand-batsman and a utility right-arm offbreak bowler though accepted that the situation was not that great when he walked in to bat. "I agree that it was a tough situation when I walked out to bat, but it feels good to have come up trumps at the end of it. I have been winning matches for my side all these years, which is the reason why people like me," he said.

Pathan, who last represented India in a T20I in march 2012, acknowledged his fans saying that it was his reputation which has helped him gain the crowd support. He acknowledged that it was the things done in the past which were helping him.

"It is a great feeling to know that the crowd believes in my abilities every time I walk out to bat. The reason they believe in me and want me to do well is because of the things I have done in the past. There have been situations in the past when I have single-handedly won matches for the team, which has been the reason why people have faith in me. They want me to win every match and score big every time I bat, which is not possible since the situations and conditions are different from time to time.

"I like the fact that the people and team management have expectations from me of winning matches. It is their love and support that keeps me going at times when I am low on confidence," Pathan said.

Pathan, who had a forgettable outing so far in IPL 7, denied that he was going low on confidence when runs were not coming off his bat. "I was never low on confidence. There were times when I was sent in to bat when there were just two or three overs to spare. At that time, if I fail to score, everyone gets a feeling that I am low on confidence and out of form. I have always had tremendous self-belief and knew I will be getting my runs soon," he said.

"The domestic season kept me in a positive frame of mind for the IPL and it was always a matter of time that I got going in the IPL. Till the time you feel that you have a good bat speed and you are hitting the ball well, there is nothing to worry. I was just waiting for an opportunity where I could show that the match-winner in me was still alive, and tonight, it was on display," he concluded.