Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has responded to ex-Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi's recent rant, fueling their ongoing rivalry.

Afridi challenged Pathan to a face-to-face discussion after latter’s remarks about a 2006 incident took the internet by storm last month.

In a social media post, Pathan wrote, "Aap Log sahi kehte hain: ‘Ye padosi X players aur media Irfan Pathan ke naam se obsessed hain.’ [Everyone is right. These ex-players and media of neighbouring country are obsessed with Irfan Pathan].

The entire matter started in August 2025, when, during an interview with Lallantop, Pathan revealed that the Indian team was on the tour of Pakistan in 2006 when the players of both sides took the same flight from Karachi to Lahore. That’s where the former cricketers got into an argument as Pathan claimed that Afridi started it by messing up his hair and calling him a kid.

“During the 2006 tour, we were travelling by flight from Karachi to Lahore. Both teams were travelling together. Afridi came and placed his hand on my head, messing up my hair. He asked me, ‘How are you kid?’ I said, ‘Tu kab se mera baap ban gaya? (Since when have you become my father?)’,".

“The childish behaviour was actually his. He was not my friend. After that, Afridi said some abusive words to me. His seat was right next to mine," Pathan said.

The conversation that followed was hilarious, to say the least. Pathan was sitting next to Abdul Razzaq, and he casually asked him about the different kinds of meat available in Pakistan, which took the former Pakistan all-rounder by surprise.

“Abdul Razzaq was sitting with me then. I asked him what kind of meat is available here. He told me about the different kinds of meat. Then I asked if dog meat was available. Afridi was sitting right there. Razzaq was shocked to hear this and said, ‘Hey Irfan, why are you saying this?’," he added.

Pathan didn’t take a backseat and went on to say that Afridi might have had dog meat, which is why he keeps barking.

“I said, ‘He (Afridi) has eaten dog meat, he has been barking for a long time’. After that, Afridi couldn’t say anything. Whatever he might have said, I would have just said, ‘Look, he is barking again.’ After this, he remained silent throughout the flight," Pathan said.

“From this incident, he understood that he could not win against me verbally. That’s why he never said anything to me again," he further remarked.

However, recently Shahid Afridi reacted to the comment, calling it a "lie", and also went on to say that Pathan was not a "real man."

“I consider those people men who can say things face to face and who will look me in the eye. He keeps talking behind my back. I can only respond if he says things to my face. How do I respond to his lies? What should I respond to this lie?” Afridi said on Samaa TV.

Pathan and Afridi’s verbal battle has intensified amidst heightened India-Pakistan tensions, coinciding with their Asia Cup 2025 encounters. Notably, Suryakumar Yadav and his menrefused to shake hands with the Pakistani team following their seven-wicket win in the Asia Cup Group A fixture last Sunday (September 14).

The arch-rivals will square off once again in the Super 4 stage on September 21 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.