 While studying at Cambridge, he played first-class cricket for Cambridge University in 1983, making seven appearances and scoring 263 runs, which included two half centuries.His time at Cambridge also coincided with his second spell playing for the Combined Services, with Pathmanathan making two List A appearances in the 1983 Benson & Hedges Cup.He generally struggled in one-day cricket, scoring 74 runs across twelve innings, with a high score of 58.