Yusuf Pathan    

Yusuf Pathan first made his mark as a hard-hitting batsman and offspinner for the Baroda Under-16 team in the Vijay Merchant Trophy in 1999-2000. His impressive showings saw him quickly climb the rungs to the Baroda U-19 and the West Zone U-19 sides. He made his Ranji debut against Saurashtra in 2001-02, but it wasn't until the 2004-05 season, by when younger brother Irfan Pathan was donning the national colours, that he established himself as a regular in the Baroda squad. Pathan ended the 2004-05 season as Baroda's fourth-highest scorer and third-highest wicket-taker.

His ability to score runs quickly - he had the highest strike rate in the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy - and impressive performances in the Deodhar Trophy and Twenty20 domestic tournament in the 2006-07 season was rewarded with a spot in India's squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa.

Pathan's impressive showing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League in 2008 - 435 runs with four fifties at a strike-rate of 179 - earned him an ODI call-up for the tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan. He recorded the fastest fifty of the IPL's first season - off 21 balls against the Deccan Chargers - and his dazzling all-round show in the final was instrumental in Rajasthan's triumph. A run of patchy scores in India's limited-overs squads saw Pathan dropped, but he replied with emphatically with a 190-ball unbeaten double century - his second in the match - as West Zone sealed the highest first-class chase ever in the 2010 Duleep Trophy final.

His ODI career hit a peak when he helped India chase 316 with a blistering century against New Zealand. At the IPL auctions in 2011, he was snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders for a bumper US$2.1 million, and shortly after, was picked in India's Squad for the World Cup.

Cricinfo staff January 2011

• 123* v New Zealand, Bangalore, 2010
  • Yusuf walked in with India struggling at 108 for 4 in the 20th over, chasing 316. It seemed a lost cause, but not to Yusuf, who slammed seven fours and as many sixes on the way to a stunning unbeaten 123 off 96 balls. India won by five wickets with seven balls to spare.
    
• 105 v South Africa, Centurion, 2011
  • In a match in which five of India's top six batsmen made less than 12, Yusuf gave India an outside chance of chasing down 268 in 46 overs by carving South Africa's bowlers for 105 off 70 deliveries. Unfortunately, even that effort wasn't enough.