In Yusuf Pathan, India have a batsman who can change the course of a one-day or T20 game in a couple of overs. Yusuf, the older sibling of Irfan Pathan, first served notice to the Indian cricketing fraternity when he replaced an injured Virender Sehwag in the playing eleven against Pakistan at the 2007 T20 ICC World Cup Final. Opening the innings with Gautam Gambhir, he set the tone for India in that match scoring 15 off 12 deliveries, including a big six off Mohammed Asif off just the fourth ball of the match.

Pathan senior was also a vital cog in Rajasthan Royals’ IPL-winning season in 2008. Putting in a power-packed effort for the Royals, Pathan scored 435 runs with four fifties at a strike-rate of 179 in the course of that inaugural season.

A couple of ordinary performances took him out of the reckoning for India’s ODI squad. But playing in the 2010 Duleep Trophy final, Pathan engineered a record run chase for West Zone as he blitzed his way to a 190-ball unbeaten double century.

He produced a similar effort in a 2010 ODI match, when an unbeaten 96-ball 123 helped India chase down 316 against New Zealand. As a result of these blustery knocks, Pathan fetched an incredible USD 2.1 million at the IPL Player Auction, 2011 as also a place in India’s ODI World Cup squad.