Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan recently spoke about his furious clashes with former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi, emphasizing some of the emotional times they experienced on and off the field.

Pathan revealed that Afridi frequently sought to provoke him with caustic remarks, including personal comments.

“During the 2006 tour, we were flying from Karachi to Lahore. Both teams were travelling together. Afridi came and put his hand on my head and messed up my hair. He asked me, ‘How are you, kid?’.

I thought, "Since when did you become my father?" He behaved like a child. I was neither talking to him nor saying anything. After this, Afridi said some bad things to me. His seat was near mine,” Pathan said on the Lallantop show.

He went on to explain how he responded with a sharp retort that silenced Afridi for the rest of the flight.

“Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq was sitting with me then. I asked him what kind of meat is available here. He told me meat of different animals is available. After this, I asked whether dog meat is available. Razzaq was surprised to hear me and said, ‘Hey Irfan, why are you saying this?’ He (Afridi) has eaten dog meat; he has been barking for so long," Pathan recalled with a laugh.

According to Pathan, that was the last time Afridi attempted to taunt him directly.

“After this, Afridi could not say anything. If he said anything, I would have said, "Look, he is barking more." After this, he remained quiet for the entire flight. He understood from this incident that he would not be able to fight me verbally. That is why he never said anything to me again," he concluded.

And now, Irfan Pathan has received support from none other than Shahid Afridi’s ex-Pakistan teammate, Danish Kaneria. Kaneria has often targeted Afridi for affecting his career in the Pakistan team.

“Irfan bhai, you’re absolutely right. He always resorts to personal attacks, be it on someone’s family or their religion. Class and decency clearly aren’t his strengths," Kaneria posted on X, formerly Twitter.  

Kaneria claimed several years ago that he faced religious persecution while playing for Pakistan. He claimed that his teammates were hesitant to eat with him due to his faith. He further claimed that Shahid Afridi, a senior member of the Pakistani dressing room, encouraged other players to shun him.