Farman makes the big league, signs with Daredevils

Thu, Nov 5 06:10 AM

Twenty20 seems to have finally paid off for Farman Ahmed's three-year long struggle to get into days cricket. The batsman still remembers his first days' season for the Delhi Under-22 team in 2005, when he scored 173 runs in two innings, but a call-up for the Delhi Twenty20 team and now an Indian Premier League (IPL) offer from the Delhi Daredevils may outshine those statistics.

"I'm waiting for Thursday morning when I'll get to sign the deal. All other formalities have been done. After spending three years at the Ranji camp, I was becoming desperate for a platform. The IPL will be very different from whatever I have done so far, but now, at least, there's a stage where people can watch me play," Farman said, speaking to Sportline.

The batsman had a sense of changing things when he was picked in the Delhi Twenty20 squad last month. He didn't have the best of runs in the tournament but found the middle of the blade when it mattered the most.

"They (the Delhi Daredevils) came to watch me during Delhi's match against Himachal Pradesh and I scored 45 runs from just 33 deliveries. Then, during an IPL trial game, I hit 31 off 17 playing for Glenn McGrath XI at number 7. These were the only two occasions they watched me play," the 25-year-old said.

Despite his exploits in the shortest format of the game lately, the Delhi player wishes to play the longer versions. With about six Delhi players currently playing for India across all formats, Farman merits this chance to make a point.

Parallel platform"For talented players who couldn't make the Delhi Ranji team at a young age due to the presence of experienced players, events like the IPL have thrown open alternative platforms to perform where you are viewed by a large audience," Farman said.

"If you are making a mark there, you are giving yourself a bigger chance. My brand of cricket may now suit Twenty20 or one-day matches, but I want to use this opportunity to prepare myself for days cricket. It's still the toughest form of the game."

Maybe that's why he is ready for a compromise-that of giving up his natural opener's slot.

"If yous see, most of my runs are scored at more than a-run-a-ball. Perhaps, this made my selection in the Twenty20 squad easier. But Twenty20 doesn't necessarily violate the grammar of batting. Knocking the ball around for singles and doubles is increasingly becoming important in the format. I can't weigh myself against the names in the Delhi Daredevils team right now, but I'm prepared to play anywhere in the batting order. Though I am a natural opener, I can bat at any position. In one of the selection matches, I in fact batted at no. 7," Farman said.

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