Pathan also revealed how Tendulkar once promoted him to counter Kumble in a Duleep Trophy match.
Irfan Pathan, a former all-rounder for India, has revealed something startling about his playing days. He disclosed that when Pathan was moved up to number three in the batting order, one player had an unexpected reaction.
Notably, Pathan began his international career as a lower-order batter and left-arm fast bowler before moving up the order, particularly in ODI cricket.
"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. There is no permanent friendship or rivalry in cricket. It was said, 'Yeh kyu mere se upar jaa raha hai batting karne?' "Why is he batting above me?" Pathan said in an interview on The Lallantop.
Speaking about the major incident, Pathan said that none of the players—Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, or Virender Sehwag—were protesting his promotion.
"It wasn't Dada. In fact, Dada was someone who sacrificed his own position for others. Yes, but I will make it clear that it wasn't Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, or Sachin Tendulkar," Pathan added.
Pathan gave more details about the player who wasn’t happy with his promotion in batting order and said, "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."
Meanwhile, Pathan revealed that Tendulkar recognized his hitting ability and once promoted him up the order in a Duleep Trophy match to counter Anil Kumble.
"He (Sachin) sent me to bat at No. 3 in a Duleep Trophy match. He told me to counterattack if Anil Kumble comes to bowl. He knew that a match-winner like Anil Kumble would trouble us. He thought that if I, being a No. 8 batter, could connect a couple of shots, Kumble might get angry and change his plan," Pathan said.
Irfan Pathan played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is. He took 100, 173, and 28 wickets, respectively, and made 1105, 1544, and 172 runs with the bat.