Kolkata, Aug 17 - Irfan Pathan may be disappointed at being left out of the Indian squad for the Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy, but the Baroda pacer has taken up the challenge to lift his performance and force a recall into the national side.

'I never run away from challenges. I shall take up the challenge as I move ahead. I shall go to that level in the coming years where nobody can leave me out,' Pathan told mediapersons here Monday.

'What I achieved in 23-24 years of my life, most others have not. I have the confidence that I can do it,' said the pacer, who completes 25 in October, at a function of teleservices provider Tata Indicom.

Irfan and his elder brother Yusuf Pathan are brand ambassadors for the company.

Some of Irfan's comments betrayed a feeling of being wronged.

'I was among the top six wicket takers in the second edition of the IPL (Indian Premier League) with 17 wickets. I also scored 196 runs.... Whenever something goes wrong, I get dropped.'

But careful not to ruffle feathers among the powers-that-be, Irfan maintained that giving excuses was never his forte.

'If I talk about myself, I shall talk of lot of positives. But the scenario is I am not in the team. And so, I need to perform better.'

Asked whether he has failed to live up to his billing as an all-rounder, Irfan said he always described himself in the past as a bowler who could bat.