Irfan Pathan recalls physical altercation with senior Indian batter

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has revealed an ugly fight with a senior Indian batter over batting position.

After making his international debut in 2003, Pathan represented India in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in January 2020.

During an interview with an Indian media outlet, Irfan Pathan shared exclusive details about his cricket career and his relationship with his teammates.

The former all-rounder revealed facing the wrath of a senior Indian batter after his batting number was demoted to make way for Pathan up the order.

Without revealing the name of the Indian batter, Irfan Pathan claimed that the batter grabbed his collar when management decided to send him to bat at No. 3.

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“I didn’t say anything; I was quite young. He was someone who thought he was a better batter than me. There is no point in disrespecting someone by taking names,” he said.

Pathan continued, “It was said, ‘Yeh kyu mere se upar jaa raha hai batting karne?’ (Why is he batting above me?).”

When pushed to reveal the identity of the senior Indian batter, Irfan Pathan refused to do so, saying that rivalries were never forever in cricket.

“I will make this clear that it wasn’t Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, or Sachin Tendulkar. He thought he was a more capable batter, and the captain also listened to him and promoted him, but he got out early in that match,” he added.