“Former Cricketer Yusuf Pathan Announces Candidacy for Lok Sabha Elections, Becoming the Third Member from 2011 World Cup-Winning Team to Enter Politics”
Yusuf Pathan, a two-time World Cup winner for India, has officially announced his candidacy for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal’s Baharampur constituency, as declared by Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday.
Pathan’s entry into politics marks the third instance of a player from the 2011 World Cup-winning cricket team venturing into the political arena, following in the footsteps of his teammates Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh. Expressing his support, Yusuf’s younger brother, Irfan, took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to convey his best wishes, highlighting Yusuf’s qualities of patience, kindness, and dedication to serving the community.
In the upcoming election, Pathan will be challenging Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, with the Congress expected to field Mr. Chowdhury, who has represented the constituency five times before. While the Congress has expressed its desire for a respectable seat-sharing arrangement with the TMC in West Bengal, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh emphasized that such agreements must be reached through negotiations rather than unilateral announcements.
Ramesh also stressed the importance of opposition unity, stating that the Indian National Congress has always aimed for a united front against the BJP.
Two-time World Cup winner
Pathan represented India in 57 ODIs, accumulating 810 runs at an average of 27, including two centuries. In T20 cricket, he scored 236 runs from 22 matches at an average of 18.15 and an impressive strike rate of 146.58.
Apart from his contributions to the national team, Pathan played a pivotal role for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL), contributing to their title victories in 2012 and 2014. Additionally, he was part of the Rajasthan Royals squad that clinched the inaugural IPL title in 2008.
The 41-year-old cricketer participated in both the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ODI World Cup-winning campaign in 2011, adding significant milestones to his illustrious career.
Author:- Apoorva Arora