Irfan Pathan‘s emergence in Indian cricket topography was like a breath of fresh air. He could bowl lethal left-arm pace with a great ability to swing the ball and he was also an effective batter. Though he represented India in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is, Pathan had a special rivalry with Pakistan. No one can forget his hat-trick in Karachi in 2006 or his Man of the Match performance in the final of the 2007 T20 World Cup against Pakistan. But among the Pakistan players, Pathan had a rather bitter competition with Shahid Afridi. Pathan got the former Pakistan captain’s wicket 11 times, but more than the sporting aspect, it was the off-field antics that riled up Irfan too.
He narrated a rather intriguing incident on a flight during the 2006 Tour where he left an irritating Afridi stunned.
“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?'” Pathan said on Lallantop.
“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 then said something at Afridi’s direction that completely shut him up.
“Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq was sitting with me then. I asked him what kind of meat is available here. He told me meat of different animals are 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?” Pathan said.
“He (Afridi) has eaten dog meat, he has been barking for so long. 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.”