Irfan Pathan accuses Sourav Ganguly of playing politics and forcing selectors against India debut

Irfan Pathan's debut for India under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy during the 2003-04 tour of Australia is still remembered as one of the most promising beginnings for a youngster in Indian cricket. At just 19 years old, Irfan Pathan impressed everyone with his deadly swing bowling and solid batting skills.

The left-arm seamer’s fearless attitude and ability to swing the ball both ways and contribute with the bat gave India hope that their long search for a genuine all-rounder had finally ended. But Pathan was not originally in Sourav Ganguly’s plans for the Australia tour.

When Sourav Ganguly rejected Irfan Pathan for Australia tour, but the same teen star proved him wrong

In a video shared by Sony Sports Network on X, Pathan revealed that Ganguly rejected the 19-year-old for the tough tour of Australia during the selection meeting.

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But the Indian selectors stood firm on their call, and the former captain had to take the young Pathan down under back in 2003.

The former Indian all-rounder revealed that he went to Australia as a replacement for the legendary pacer Javagal Srinath on the back of his remarkable performances in the Under-19 and domestic cricket, both in Duleep Trophy and first-class cricket.

Selectors' backing forced Sourav Ganguly to take Irfan Pathan on Australia tour

For two years before his India debut, the Baroda star had been dominating domestic cricket. He took 90 wickets in first-class matches and grabbed 40 wickets across two seasons in the Duleep Trophy. And then he was the highest wicket-taker for India U-19 on the Pakistan tour.

His consistency, skill, and strong performances in both domestic and U19 cricket eventually convinced the national selection committee that he was ready to shine on the international stage, but Ganguly has flatly rejected the idea of selecting Irfan for the Australia tour.

The commentator further revealed that it was Ganguly who himself told him that he didn’t want to take a youngster straight from the U19 setup to a tough tour like Australia. But the selectors stood firm, and Irfan made it to the squad, and the rest is history.

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Irfan Pathan hails great leader Sourav Ganguly

Irfan Pathan said on Sony Sports Network, “After the tour was about to end, Dada came to me. He said, ‘Irfan, actually, I didn't want you to come to this tour. And there is a reason for that. Listen to me before you react.’ I said, Yes, Dada. Say it. I won't say anything anyway.

Then Dada said, ‘When I saw your bowling, then I believed and realized that I was wrong.’ To say something like that to a U19 boy as an Indian captain, who is a successful Indian captain, is a big deal. So, the connection with Dada is special. I admitted his mistake to me. This is a big deal. Not everyone says this. So, it was a sign of a great leader.”

Irfan Pathan recalls his debut and an honest conversation with Sourav Ganguly that followed 🥹 #SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/yMibokwqRY

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 22, 2025

Notably, India had played four Tests on the 2003-04 Test tour of Australia, but Pathan got to play only two Tests, and he scalped four wickets. India and Australia each won one test, while two games ended in a draw, and both teams shared the trophy.

Later, Pathan also made his ODI debut for India in the Tri-Nation Tournament against Australia and Zimbabwe, where he was the leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets at an average of 31.

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