Irfan has helped me improve: Yusuf Pathan

It has been a great experience in the first fortnight of this season's IPL.

I have learnt from my mistakes and evolved as a player. So has my team. It has made mistakes, but as a group we have performed well.

The most encouraging part is that we’ve got a chance to play on wickets outside India.

Though I have played on South African wickets during the T20 World Cup, what really struck me is the way the practice wickets behave in South Africa.

They have the same bounce and pace as the main strip and practicing on these wickets helps in improving your batting. Since Irfan has toured this part of the world a few times, I try and seek his help to improve my game.

I spoke to him before I came in South Africa and I keep talking to him about his experience in South Africa. Other senior players also help me out.

I am not too worried about the pace or bounce. In fact for batsmen like us, it helps us to hit and hit hard.

One player we are really missing is Shane Watson. Word is that he might join us soon and that will bolster our team. What we are looking at is an additional batsman who can soak up the pressure.

Though we are struggling with batting, our bowling and fielding have been pretty good. With his knowledge about the grounds and pitches here, Graeme Smith has been a huge help to us.

First Published: May 02, 2009 22:33 IST