In T20,its better not to think too much: Yusuf

When Yusuf Pathan was bought by Rajasthan Royals before the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL),he was just one of the many lesser-known face in Shane Warnes posse of low-profile individuals....

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When Yusuf Pathan was bought by Rajasthan Royals before the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL),he was just one of the many lesser-known face in Shane Warnes posse of low-profile individuals. Though the Baroda all-rounder had earned his stripes in domestic circles for his power-hitting,for all practical purposes at that stage Yusuf was just known for being the elder brother of the then sensational Irfan Pathan. By the time Warne and his Royals did the unthinkable and lifted the inaugural IPL title though,Yusuf had made his own mark on the cricket field.

Two years later,not only has the 27-year-old right-hander outshone his down-on-fortune younger sibling on the international stage,he has established himself as one of the most dangerous batsmen in limited-overs cricket especially the T20 format a fact that his Rajasthan Royals skipper is quick to admit. In fact Warne doesnt mince his words while singing the praises of the most influential Indian player in his side.

You see all the teams and I think Yusuf is probably the biggest and the most dangerous match-winner. There are a number of very talented players in the IPL. But if Yusuf bats for seven-eight overs he is going to change the course of the game and he is going to win it off his own bat, insists Warne.

The former Australian spin wizard even goes to the extent of comparing Yusufs brute power with the bat with the likes of some of the most dangerous batsmen to have graced the cricket field.

I have seen some great strikers of the ball like Adam Gilchrist,Andrew Symonds,and (Navjot Singh) Sidhu. But I dont think anyone hits them as clean as Yusuf does, says Warne.

Yusuf ,as laidback as ever,still believes in keeping things simple and just sticking to his strengths without going gaga about his achievements. After having found a rich vein of form in all formats of the game in the last few months,Yusuf smashed 80 brutal runs off just 39 balls in the Deodhar Trophy final a few days ago before adding 77 of 32 balls in a practice game for the Royals.

I remember the day when the first IPL was about to start. There were many questions running in my mind about whether it will come as a big success for me. But luckily the first season changed my career and suddenly I got the fame. Earlier,people hardly knew who Yusuf was. Probably they knew me as Irfans brother but after IPL-1,I got the recognition, says Yusuf during a chat with The Indian Express.

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The onus will once again be on Yusuf going into the third edition of the IPL as the Royals look to win back the trophy that they so famously won two years back. But the big-hitting all-rounder believes that with there being hardly any time to think in a T20 game,it is better to stay calm. It feels good to back here in India. At least we wont start as underdogs this time,there will be hopes again. We have a good side again,the combination looks good and even local talent is good. But frankly speaking,its better not to think too much, he says.