2 months ago
NEW DELHI: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has revisited a little-known heated exchange with Sri Lanka great ****** ar Sangakkara during the 2005 Test in Delhi, revealing how an argument over a changed ball escalated into personal sledging before the two eventually put the incident behind them and became friends.
Pathan was at the centre of a memorable India innings at the Feroz Shah Kotla, scoring 93 after being sent up the order. But alongside his attacking knock, which included two sixes off Muttiah Muralitharan, came a confrontation with Sangakkara that the former India all-rounder remembered years later.
Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Cheeky Singles' programme, Pathan explained that the tension had its roots in the Sri Lankan team's frustration over the ball used during their innings.
"There was a Test match in Delhi. I opened and made 93. After the first innings, when we went to bowl, the box of ****** had changed, or something like that happened, and the Sri Lankan players were not happy. Sangakkara was the most vocal of all. Then, when I went to bat, I had zero idea what had happened; I was asked to open. I hit Muralitharan for two sixes," Pathan said.
The former India all-rounder said Sangakkara became increasingly frustrated as Pathan began taking the attack to Sri Lanka.
"If he is getting hit for sixes with the new ball, it means you have derailed the opposition's planning a bit. Suddenly, Sangakkara started saying, 'You guys cheat, your parents teach you all this and blah blah.' He went personal, and I also answered back. He started it," he added.
The exchange, according to Pathan, went beyond the usual competitive sledging of a Test match, with the argument becoming personal.
The episode could easily have left a lasting bitterness between the two cricketers. Instead, their paths crossed again away from international cricket, when both became part of the Kings XI Punjab setup in the IPL.
Pathan admitted that the situation was awkward when he realised he would be sharing a dressing room with Sangakkara.
"After the auction, I saw I would be playing with Sangakkara at Punjab. Now I was eating with his family, and I did not know what to do. I went and told him sorry. He also apologised, and then we became good friends. Emotions are high, and you always make mistakes. It matters how maturely you handle things," he remembered.
The incident underlined how quickly emotions can boil over in cricket, particularly when a match is finely balanced and players are trying to unsettle one another. Pathan's account shows that while words exchanged in the heat of competition can cross a line, they do not necessarily have to define the relationship between two players.
#India #Delhi
Pathan was at the centre of a memorable India innings at the Feroz Shah Kotla, scoring 93 after being sent up the order. But alongside his attacking knock, which included two sixes off Muttiah Muralitharan, came a confrontation with Sangakkara that the former India all-rounder remembered years later.
Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Cheeky Singles' programme, Pathan explained that the tension had its roots in the Sri Lankan team's frustration over the ball used during their innings.
"There was a Test match in Delhi. I opened and made 93. After the first innings, when we went to bowl, the box of ****** had changed, or something like that happened, and the Sri Lankan players were not happy. Sangakkara was the most vocal of all. Then, when I went to bat, I had zero idea what had happened; I was asked to open. I hit Muralitharan for two sixes," Pathan said.
The former India all-rounder said Sangakkara became increasingly frustrated as Pathan began taking the attack to Sri Lanka.
"If he is getting hit for sixes with the new ball, it means you have derailed the opposition's planning a bit. Suddenly, Sangakkara started saying, 'You guys cheat, your parents teach you all this and blah blah.' He went personal, and I also answered back. He started it," he added.
The exchange, according to Pathan, went beyond the usual competitive sledging of a Test match, with the argument becoming personal.
The episode could easily have left a lasting bitterness between the two cricketers. Instead, their paths crossed again away from international cricket, when both became part of the Kings XI Punjab setup in the IPL.
Pathan admitted that the situation was awkward when he realised he would be sharing a dressing room with Sangakkara.
"After the auction, I saw I would be playing with Sangakkara at Punjab. Now I was eating with his family, and I did not know what to do. I went and told him sorry. He also apologised, and then we became good friends. Emotions are high, and you always make mistakes. It matters how maturely you handle things," he remembered.
The incident underlined how quickly emotions can boil over in cricket, particularly when a match is finely balanced and players are trying to unsettle one another. Pathan's account shows that while words exchanged in the heat of competition can cross a line, they do not necessarily have to define the relationship between two players.
#India #Delhi
2 months ago
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has spoken about how fake news and online trolling can spread quickly, recalling an incident involving Pakistan cricketer Babar Azam during the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Pathan said a false story claimed Babar had refused to give him an interview because of his alleged comments about Pakistan. According to Pathan, the report was created using a manipulated photograph.
"The trolling and fake attribution happen every day," Pathan said on JioHotstar.
He explained that a Pakistani media outlet had published a story suggesting he had approached Babar for an interview, only to be turned down.
"The media in our neighbouring country once ran a story claiming that I had gone to interview Babar Azam, and that he refused because, according to him, 'He trolls our country, so I won't give him an interview.' It was a complete lie. Someone had photoshopped my face onto a picture," he said.
Pathan clarified that the person in the original photograph was actually a young Bangladeshi reporter who had approached Babar but was denied an interview.
"The person in the original image was a young Bangladeshi reporter who had gone to the ground for the first time and was refused an interview. They literally put my face on his body and spread the story. It got over a million views, and people believed it was me. This happens every day, but I don't respond. Every day, some lie is told in our name or about some player. If you keep responding to everyone, you won't be able to live your life," he added.
Pathan was part of India's 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team and was named Player of the Match in the final against Pakistan. He took 301 international wickets and scored 2,821 runs. In the IPL, he played 103 matches, taking 80 wickets and scoring 1,139 runs.
#pathan #babar #Pakistan #bangladeshi
Pathan said a false story claimed Babar had refused to give him an interview because of his alleged comments about Pakistan. According to Pathan, the report was created using a manipulated photograph.
"The trolling and fake attribution happen every day," Pathan said on JioHotstar.
He explained that a Pakistani media outlet had published a story suggesting he had approached Babar for an interview, only to be turned down.
"The media in our neighbouring country once ran a story claiming that I had gone to interview Babar Azam, and that he refused because, according to him, 'He trolls our country, so I won't give him an interview.' It was a complete lie. Someone had photoshopped my face onto a picture," he said.
Pathan clarified that the person in the original photograph was actually a young Bangladeshi reporter who had approached Babar but was denied an interview.
"The person in the original image was a young Bangladeshi reporter who had gone to the ground for the first time and was refused an interview. They literally put my face on his body and spread the story. It got over a million views, and people believed it was me. This happens every day, but I don't respond. Every day, some lie is told in our name or about some player. If you keep responding to everyone, you won't be able to live your life," he added.
Pathan was part of India's 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team and was named Player of the Match in the final against Pakistan. He took 301 international wickets and scored 2,821 runs. In the IPL, he played 103 matches, taking 80 wickets and scoring 1,139 runs.
#pathan #babar #Pakistan #bangladeshi
