Irfan Pathan recalls selector Srikkanth’s ridiculous comment

Pathan also recalled some moments from his debut tour to Australia in 2003.

Irfan Pathan in 2012 | GettyIrfan Pathan debuted at the age of 18 years against Australia in 2003 and immediately made a big impact with his ability to swing the ball both ways and then with the capabilities he had with the bat. He slowly became what many perceived as the next Kapil Dev.

Pathan starred in many Indian wins during the period from 2003-2009 including the Man of the final performance in the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 against Pakistan. However, then injuries and form started taking a toll on the bowler and he became sidelined and then forgotten.

Pathan, who officially retired from the game last year, recalled some of the memories of his career in an interview with asianetnews.com.

Irfan Pathan reveals Javed Miandad's comments upset his father during 2004 Pakistan tour

The 35-year-old talked about getting dropped in 2012 despite getting Man of the Match award in his last ODI for India. “You wish you could have gotten, not support, but a lot of people talk about getting not enough support. But I wish I had got what I deserved. I lost my place in the Indian team after getting the Man-of-the-match award in my last game in 2012. I got dropped, I don’t the reasons for it."

He further says, "When I look back, I think I could have achieved a lot more. If you have played your last game at the age of 27, imagine what you could have achieved at 35. I do look back and think I could have achieved a lot more,” he said.

When asked about whether the BCCI selectors relayed to him why he was dropped or anything about his future, Pathan said, “No, never.

I remember one of the selectors (Kris Srikkanth) saying when I was playing, ‘Irfan is not getting wickets, batsmen are giving him wickets’. I did not understand what sort of a statement that was. These are the silliest things they give as excuses not to select a player. I don’t know how much communication can help between selectors and players,” he added.

 
 

By Jatin Sharma - 21 Apr, 2020

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