When you’re down, you don’t have too many friends...

This year, Irfan Pathan is on the rise again. Back on his feet, he is now looking to ensure that he doesn’t stumble again. He spoke to The Indian Express about his incredible journey. Excerpts:

What has changed for you this year?

How difficult was this phase?

•It was a test of my physical and mental ability. I was going through a bad patch and, while I knew I would come out of it, I began to understand that I had to keep working hard, keep giving my best. Every player has to go through something like this at the international level. Those who get through it can aim for further growth. I’ve played international cricket for four years now and these four years have taught me a lot, about cricket and other things.

The troubled times have helped me trust my own judgement. Every morning when you wake up, you like to tell yourself, ‘okay, here’s something that I did well’ or ‘this is something I have to avoid’. I guess it’s natural for everybody. It is very important to analyse each day of your life and learn from it. In international cricket, there are good days and there are bad days. On a bad day, luck will not be on your side, and it gets worse when you have all kinds of people analysing all sorts of things. I agree that there will always be criticism, and positive criticism should be respected.

But, from my own experience, these are the times that tell you who your best friends are.

Over the last two...