Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan revealed ex-skipper Sourav Ganguly was not sure of his abilities when he stepped into international cricket. Pathan had made his Test debut for India in 2003 and ODI debut in 2004 under Ganguly's captaincy.

Speaking on Star Sports, Pathan recalled Ganguly's words for him in the early days of his career. The then India captain had told Pathan that he doesn't want him in his team.

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Ganguly called Pathan and said, “I did not want you in the team". He believed the all-rounder was too young and inexperienced to be playing Down Under.

“Dada thought that I was too young as a 19-year-old to be playing in Australia and that I would be challenged," the ex-Baroda cricketer said.

Pathan convinced Ganguly that he belongs to this level with his performance. “He came up to me and said how he was wrong in his views. That really shocked me, because very rarely does a skipper talk about the selection and then admits his mistake," Pathan recalled.

The 36-year-old played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, 24 T20Is for India. He was also part of the T20 World Cup-winning side in 2007.