Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan recently revisited his hat-trick against Pakistan in the third and final Test of the 2006 series in Karachi.
WATCH: Pathan recalls a Test match when his ploy of sledging Akhtar helped Dhoni focus on his game
Pathan’s victims were Salman Butt, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf. While Butt was caught at slip by Rahul Dravid, Younis was adjudged LBW and Yusuf was cleaned up by the left-armer.
Unfortunately for him, India lost that Test match by 341 runs and also conceded the series 1-0.
Speaking to Sports Tak, Irfan said: “I always feel sad that we lost the Test because we got off to a such a good start. Sometimes, I wish if I had bowled from both the ends, then I could have got Pakistan all out much earlier.”
The 35-year-old then went on to talk about the hat-trick and explained how he planned against each of the three Pakistan batsmen.
“Whenever I used to bowl to a left-hander, I always used to think that if I bowl outside leg stump, it is okay, but I will not bowl outside off-stump. Because then the left-hander gets time to play the shot.
“So, I tried to swing the ball from leg-stump, but it remained straight. The 2nd ball, I bowled outside off-stump, it turned. So, I realised there is a lot of help from wicket. So, I got the wicket in 3rd or 4th ball, and I felt relieved. Because I always believed that it’s my job to get first wicket,” Pathan said on Butt’s dismissal.
“Then came Younis Khan, and he used to trouble Indian team a lot. He used to score a lot of runs against us. I was thinking, I would bowl in front, even if I overpitch it, I will try and hit the pads. If you look at the delivery, I struck him below the knees. Luckily, the bowl was pitched exactly where I wanted to, Simon Taufel gave it out,” he added.
Recalling his hat-trick ball, Irfan revealed Yousuf had a conversation with his father in the build-up to the game.
Yousuf had asked Pathan’s father to pray that his son doesn't manage to get his wicket. But as it turned out, the right-hander became the Indian seamer’s ultimate scalp.
Irfan said Yousuf’s words to his father were on his mind when he was on the verge of completing the milestone.
“Then came Mohammad Yousuf. I definitely feel that wicket was top five deliveries of my career. Because ball turned in the air, because it picked up speed after it was pitched. I had been on a hat-trick before that match, but was unable to complete the milestone. I was thinking at the time, if it happens, it will happen. But then I thought Mohammad Yousuf was in front of me,” he said.
“Mohammad Yousuf has spoken to my father before the tour, and said that ‘Khan sahab, I want to talk to you’. My father is very respectful, and he speaks openly to everyone, so he said, ‘Yes, tell me’. So Yousuf said, ‘You pray that even though I get out, I don’t get out to your son’. So, when I was on a hat-trick, I that incident came to my mind.
“I knew that I trouble him with my inswinging deliveries. So, I used to exploit him a lot. So I thought, Yousuf is front of me, the ball is turning in air, and pitch is helping me, so it was a great opportunity to take a hat-trick. So, I tried to hit him in the pads, I was not trying to hit the stumps. I tried to hit him in the pads, it turned in the air, and got inside, and hit the stumps. That day, whatever I planned, I was able to do,” Pathan concluded.
