It may have been Karnataka’s home match, but it was two opposition players who stole the show at the Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Ground here.

During the four-day Ranji Trophy cricket fixture between Karnataka and Baroda, the Pathan brothers — Irfan and Yusuf — proved to be a huge hit.

The crowd could not get enough of the international cricketers, and their vocal support was appreciated by the duo, who took numerous selfies with the fans.

Irfan even engaged in some casual banter with spectators while fielding at mid-on.

“You guys will not win,” yelled one fan, on Saturday, the final day of the drawn encounter. Irfan shrugged, as if to say that the result was not a foregone conclusion yet. “Don’t worry, Karnataka will not win either,” came another quip from the stands, and this time, Irfan responded with a chuckle and a thumbs-up sign.

“I love playing at Mysuru. I have been here before. The fans here are unbelievable, and both Yusuf and I have a terrific time every time we come here. We feel that it is our duty to at least say hi to the hundreds of people who call out our names,” Irfan said, after the match on Saturday.

He added that the groundsmen had done a tremendous job in keeping the outfield lush, green and smooth.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Ashwin Achal / Mysuru – January 25th, 2015