Yusuf Pathan is a professional Indian cricketer, who was born on November 17, 1982 in Vadodara, Gujarat. He plays as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off -spin bowler. His younger brother, Irfan Pathan, also plays cricket for the Indian team.
His consistent performance in the Indian premier League (IPL) inaugural season fetched him a place in the Indian one day team, following which, he made his One Day International (ODI) debut against Pakistan in June 2008 at Dhaka. As of 2008, Yusuf Pathan has played in seven ODIs and his last match against Pakistan held on July 2, 2008.
Yusuf Pathan made his First-class debut for Baroda during the 2001-02 season. His brilliant display in the 2007 Deodhar Trophy and the Inter-state domestic Twenty20 (T20) competition (2007) earned him a place in the Indian squad for the introductory T20 World Championship held in South Africa in September that year. Yusuf Pathan made his first appearance for the Indian team as an opening batsman in the final of the International T20 match against Pakistan.
Yusuf Pathan was selected to be a part of the Rajasthan Royals owned by Emerging Media to play at the inaugural season of the Indian premier League in 2008. He was signed for an amount of $475,000 by the team. Yusuf Pathan holds the record for scoring the fastest half century (from 21 balls) of the season in a match against Deccan Chargers held on April 24, 2008. In the IPL finals held in Mumbai, he scored 56 runs and scalped three wickets, helping the team win over Chennai Super Kings. For his exceptional performance in the match, he was rewarded the Man of the Match award. He recorded his highest score of the season in the match against the Deccan Chargers by scoring 68 runs. Yusuf Pathan played a crucial role for the team’s victory by smashing 17 sixes and secured 435 runs at an average of 179.01, clinching the Man of the Match award four times during the 2008 IPL season.
