• Source:JND
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Former India bowler Irfan Pathan has expressed his wish to take up the head coach role of the national team in the future, adding that he would like to be involved in watching the team grow, and it should be a fun experience.

After providing services as a player for years, Pathan has been active in a new role since his retirement. He has become a cricket expert on broadcasting channels as well as on his own YouTube channel.

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Two of Irfan‘s former teammates, Rahul Dravid, the former India head coach and Gautam Gambhir, have since coached the Men in Blue, after Ravi Shastri's departure at the end of the 2021 season. Notably, India lifted the T20 World Cup title last year under Dravid's guidance and won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 title during Gambhir's coaching tenure.

"Oh yes, definitely, because I like seeing growth happen. Sitting back and watching growth happen, being involved in that, is something that gives me a lot of fun," Irfan said while speaking to RevSportz.

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"I would like to share something here, that I really liked the coaching style of John Wright. When I first came into the Indian team, he used to work very hard, keep everyone very tight and get involved a lot amongst other things," Irfan added.

"It was all about the players, managing everything from behind. That whole thing used to give me a lot of excitement. So, yes, in the future, when the time comes, why not? It will happen for sure," Irfan said.

Irfan made his India debut during the Australia tour way back in and went on to represent the national team in all formats. He was part of the team that lifted the 2007 T20 World Cup title, having played a crucial role in the tournament. He ended his career with 301 international wickets and 2821 runs for India.

Talking about the possibility of India batter Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami playing the 2027 ODI World Cup, Pathan said: "My work, anyway, is more about broadcasting and coaching now, but when it is time to play, it is not too regular for me. In these situations, it is difficult to keep your body working."