Irfan Pathan played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is for India from 2003 to 2012.
Irfan Pathan, former India all-rounder, has revealed an instance when ace Sri Lanka cricketer Kumar Sangakkara got angry and went off on him during a Test match between India and Sri Lanka. This Test match was played in 2005 in New Delhi.
The incident occurred during India's batting, when Irfan came out to bat alongside Gautam Gambhir. The left-handed batter went on to score 93 runs, but he also had a serious disagreement with Sangakkara.
Pathan revealed that during Sri Lanka's batting innings, the umpires changed the ball, much to the disgust of Sangakkara and the rest of the visiting squad.
So, when the Indian team came out to bat, the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper went after Pathan, accusing the hosts of "cheating." Moreover, the Sri Lankan great questioned the upbringing of Indian players.
Pathan revealed that it all started when he hit great Muttiah Muralitharan for a couple of sixes in an over, and this riled Sangakkara up, and he went on a tirade against Irfan Pathan.
“There was a Test match in Delhi. I opened it and made 93. After the first innings, when we went to bowl, the box of balls had changed, or something like that happened, and the Sri Lankan players were not happy. Sangakkara was the most vocal of all. Then, when I went to bat, I had zero idea what had happened; I was asked to open. I hit Muralitharan for two sixes,” Pathan said on JioHotstar's ‘Cheeky Singles’ show.
"If he is getting hit for sixes with the new ball, it means you have derailed the opposition's planning a bit. Suddenly, Sangakkara started saying, ‘You guys cheat; your parents teach you all this and blah blah.’ He went personal, and I also answered back. He started it," he added.
Years later, both Sangakkara and Irfan Pathan played for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and formed a solid partnership. The former India all-rounder disclosed that when he apologized to Sangakkara and the latter reciprocated, the two ended their feud.
"After the auction, I saw I would be playing with Sangakkara at Punjab. Now I was eating with his family, and I did not know what to do. I went and told him sorry. He also apologized, and then we became good friends. Emotions are high, and you always make mistakes. It matters how maturely you handle things,” Pathan added.
Irfan Pathan played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is for India from 2003 to 2012.