Tarannum Pathan interview: ‘Everyone assumed I’m Irfan and Yusuf Pathan’s sister, I would tell them the same’

Being a cricketer from Baroda with the surname Pathan does make heads turn. Siblings Irfan and Yusuf , afterall, have made ‘Pathan’ a household name across the nation and have also greatly enriched Baroda’s cricketing legacy with their stellar careers, especially when it came to representing the nation and winning matches for the ‘Men in Blue’.

So it’s only natural for spin-bowling all-rounder Tarannum Pathan to get asked if she’s related to the two iconic all-rounders. And more often than not, the 30-year-old nods her head, even if in jest.

In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost ahead of the second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), where Tarannum is set to make her debut after getting picked by Adani Sportsline Gujarat Giants, she talked about the Pathan brothers’ influence on her journey as a cricketer.

“Back then in Baroda, two names were very famous — Irfan bhai and Yusuf bhai. And my surname also happens to be Pathan. So everyone would assume I’m their younger sister, and if someone asked me, I would tell them the same,” said the off-spinner, who counts Harbhajan Singh among cricketers who inspired her growing up.

Tarannum added that she was particularly influenced by Irfan, the first Indian pacer to register a Test hat-trick who, along with Yusuf, was also part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning Indian side.

“Yes I’ve met them in Baroda. I’ve even been to their residence, and we keep talking from time to time. Have learnt a lot from Irfan bhai like how to remain in a discipline and be honest with oneself and how to go about one’s work. Haven’t spoken to Yusuf bhai as much but I’ve had a lot of conversations with Irfan on matters relating to cricket and he’s helped me out as well,” Tarannum added.

The 30-year-old adds that she’s had a passion for the sport from a very early age, and her mother even joked at one point that she was preparing to be an athlete when she was still in her womb.

“Cricket khelne ka keeda bachpan se tha” (Had the passion for cricket since childhood). My mother would tell me that I would be kicking while still in her womb, so I probably had that from a very early age. And started playing in my childhood as well, and didn’t realise how far I had come playing with my brother and my uncle. Never really knew when my cricketing journey had begun.”

‘My father didn’t give as much time for himself as he did for me’

It’s not just the Pathan brothers, however, who have played a part in her journey to becoming a professional cricketer. Tarannum insists none of all this would have happened had it not been the constant support of her parents, especially her late father Nasir.

“Whatever I am today, it is because of my parents. Massive support from them, and it’s because of their blessings that I am here today. Mainly my father because he didn’t give as much time to himself as he did to me. So it’s mainly because of him that I’m here,” Tarannum added.

It was also the life lessons imparted by her father, who drove auto-rickshaw in Baroda for a living and had passed away recently, that helped her deal with difficult situations, including getting overlooked in the player auction for the first-ever Women’s Premier League (WPL).

The 30-year-old had made quite the impact in the domestic circuit, where she not only was an integral part of the Baroda team for a number of years but had even captained the side briefly. Despite having more than 200 wickets to her name across formats, Tarannum’s name did not attract any interest from the five franchises.

For someone who was yet to realise her dream of playing at the highest level after toiling away for so many years at the domestic level, the snub would have come as a blow. Add to that the fact that she had recently parted ways with the Baroda cricket team, reportedly for being ignored by the management, and shifted her domestic base to Goa.

Tarannum, however, found solace in the lessons she learnt from her father, to deal with such situations.

“I have always followed my father. We spent a lot of time together in his final days and the one thing that I learnt from him is to not get too overwhelmed by difficult situations. So I used to remember him and inspire myself to overcome difficulties no matter what,” the offie added.

Life however, will have changed after she was picked by the Giants in the auction that took place on 9 December in Mumbai, becoming the final player to go under the hammer that day.

Despite having played competitive cricket for more than a decade, sharing the dressing room with the best in the business in the WPL is a different ballgame. And that creates some nerves even for the most seasoned cricketers.

Tarannum, however, has managed to keep a cool head so far.

“Life’s going on as usual as it did before the auction. Still can’t believe the fact that I’m in the WPL. Really happy about the fact that I finally achieved what I had been working towards for a year. So life’s going on as it was before.

“I’m not feeling any pressure whatsoever. I used to have a lot of expectations earlier that I should be able to achieve this and accomplish that. This time around, I’m keeping myself calm and assuring myself that things will turn out fine. Sure there will be a bit of pressure playing in front of such big crowds in the WPL, but I’ve managed to keep a cool head so far,” she said.

Not thinking too far ahead

This year’s Women’s Premier League assumes extra significance as it will be taking place months before the T20 World Cup gets underway in Bangladesh — the second time the ICC event’s taking place in as many years.

The inaugural WPL had taken place right after the 2023 T20 World Cup, which was won by the Meg Lanning-led Australian team that defeated India in the semi-finals en route to successfully defending its title. This time, however, the WPL takes place before the mega event and the tournament might just serve as an audition of sorts for those looking to break into the national team.

Tarannum isn’t looking that far ahead at the moment and is currently taking one day at a time.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead to be honest. As they say, such expectations end up hurting you more often than not. So I’m focusing on my day-by-day improvement, and it will be easier if I take things one day at a time. If I start thinking about playing in the World Cup which is still some time away, I might not be able to perform in the tournament that I’m currently participating in,” Tarannum said.

The Gujarat Giants didn’t have a memorable first WPL season. They finished at the bottom of the five-team table with six defeats in eight matches, same as Royal Challengers Bangalore, but with an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR).

Read | Players bought by Gujarat Giants at WPL 2024 Auction, complete squad

What didn’t help their case was the fact that skipper Beth Mooney was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a calf strain in the opening game, with Sneh Rana taking over.

The Giants, however, have Mooney back as their captain this year and will be hopeful of the Australian’s availability for the entirety of the second edition.

Tarannum, too, is confident of a much better display in the second edition after an underwhelming debut, revealing a very positive atmosphere in the dressing room where the players are gelling with one another quite nicely leading to the second season.

“The atmosphere in the dressing room this year is a very positive one. Players are standing up for one another and helping each other out. And the way we’re helping each other out might just make things easier when we’re in the ground during matches. The way we’re communicating with foreign players at the hotel might just make things easier later in the ground.

“The kind of positive environment that we have right now will surely reflect in the matches later on in the tournament,” added Tarannum, who was part of a national camp in 2010 where she had trained alongside Indian legend and current team mentor Mithali Raj.

Gujarat Giants begin their campaign on Sunday against defending champions Mumbai Indians at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium which, along with Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, will be hosting matches in the second edition.