Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan says he can recall how he managed to put Gautam Gambhir in alarming discomfort with his pace and bounce during a bilateral ODI series in 2012 which effectively finished the opener's white-ball career playing for India.
Gambhir managed to play just one more ODI series in his career after Irfan scalped him four times during the limited overs series Pakistan last played on Indian shores.
"When I played against India, they were not comfortable batting against me. Some of them told me in the 2012 series in India that they couldn't sight my ball properly because of my height and also didn't read my pace," Irfan was quoted as saying by PTI.
"He (Gambhir) didn't like to face me in the match or when both teams had nets, I always felt he avoided eye to eye contact with me. I remember I got him out four times in 2012 limited over series and he was unnerved against me."
Irfan also grins remembering one more incident which involved Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh from one of the India-Pakistan games the 37-year-old tall left-arm pacer was part of.
"He (Virat) told me he thought I would be around 130-135 kph but I had increased my pace and I was bowling around 145 kph and he had problems picking me up. Once when he was batting he tried to pull a good length ball and missed."
"Yuvraj Singh, who was at the other end told him in Punjabi. Don't try to pull him, rather try to cut him. Off my third ball, he went for a pull and was caught behind. Yuvi Paji told him... now go back," he recalls.
(Inputs from PTI)
