Yusuf Pathan vows to 'uplift the poor and deprived' after being named TMC's Lok Sabha candidate

Yusuf Pathan is all set to start a new innings in his life as he has been named as one of Trinamool Congress' 42 Lok Sabha candidates.

The announcement was made on Sunday, March 10, during the mega rally at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground. The former India cricketer is set to contest the elections from the Berhampur constituency, which is currently held by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Congress is yet to announce its candidate from Berhampur. However, there is a possibility of Adhir re-contesting from the constituency, which he has represented five times since 1999.

An overwhelmed Yusuf put out a post across his various social media handles and thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for showing faith in him. The all-rounder, who won two Indian Premier League (IPL) titles for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012 and 2014, hoped to make life easier for the poor and deprived.

Also Read: Yusuf Pathan joins TMC, to contest Lok Sabha Elections from Berhampore constituency

"I’m eternally grateful to Smt. @mamataofficial for welcoming me into the TMC family and trusting me with the responsibility to become people’s voice in the Parliament. As representatives of the people, it is our duty to uplift the poor and deprived, and that is what I hope to achieve," the 41-year-old wrote on his Instagram handle.

Yusuf is no stranger to West Bengal and its rich heritage. He spent seven seasons at KKR and helped the team win several matches on his own.

A look at Yusuf Pathan's numbers in international cricket and in IPL

The Baroda cricketer made his international debut in the finals of the T20 World Cup in 2007 against Pakistan. He went on to represent India in 57 ODIs and 22 T20Is. In ODIs, he amassed 810 runs at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 113.60. Yusuf also picked up 33 wickets in the 50-over format with his off-spin bowling at an average of 41.36. Meanwhile, in T20Is, the right-handed batter accumulated 236 runs at an average of 18.15 and a strike rate of 146.58. With the ball, he bagged 13 wickets at an average of 33.69.

Yusuf also played 174 IPL games in his career. He scored 3,204 runs at an average of 29.13 and a strike rate of 142.97. With the ball, he picked up 42 wickets. In February 2021, he retired from all formats of the game. However, the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup winner has entertained fans with his explosive batting in the various legend leagues going around in world cricket.