Great to see Pandya getting Kohli’s backing: Irfan

A cricketer can realise his potential when he has the backing of the team management and that’s why Irfan Pathan has lauded India captain Virat Kohli for believing in Hardik Pandya’s all-round abilities. Pandya, who started playing for India last year, has raised expectations like his senior Baroda teammate Pathan did nearly 14 years ago, when he made his debut against Australia in December 2003. “It is great to see players being backed. Sometimes, you always wonder, players who were not backed enough and could have otherwise had a longer career,” said Pathan. “For any player’s rise, not just Hardik’s, the backing of the captain plays a huge role. Kedar (Jadhav) for example was doing fantastically well in domestic cricket for so many years but he got the backing only under Virat,” said Pathan, who last played for India in 2012.