It Is Shocking And Disheartening: Irfan Pathan Slams Krunal Pandya For His Clash With Deepak Hooda

Former India cricketer, Irfan Pathan is upset about the saga between two Baroda players; captain, Krunal Pandya, and vice-captain, Deepak Hooda. Hooda has alleged Pandya of using “abusive language” and for “dadagiri (bullying)” during the practice camp.

It is reported that the Kings XI Punjab batsman stormed out from Baroda’s preparatory camp for the 2021 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), and later pulled out his name from the Baroda team for the domestic T20 tournament. The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) has demanded a report at the earliest from the manager of the team.

Irfan Pathan, who won several accolades for Team India including the 2007 World T20, took to Instagram to express his disappointment and shock over this incident. Pathan writes that the environment in the dressing room is important for a players’ mental well being which will be highlighted on the field.

“Being an ex captain of Baroda and having mentored many youngsters, I understand how important it is to have a harmonious environment where players can feel safe, play freely and give their best for the team. If what I have heard about Deepak Hooda episode is true, it indeed is shocking and disheartening. No player should be treated like this,” Irfan Pathan wrote on his Instagram.

BCA should condemn such actions: Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan, who was the former captain of the Baroda team, points out a couple of instances where youngsters didn’t get further opportunities despite having numbers. The cricketer-turned-commentator feels that Aditya Waghmode and Swapnil Singh should have to get more chances this season based on their impressive last year performances.

The champion all-rounder requests the BCA to thoroughly look into the matter of Deepak Hooda and Krunal Pandya as it puts the Baroda team in a bad light, and also it doesn’t concur with the principles of the game.

“In the recent past there have been episodes wherein the deserving young talents who have performed well and are under the age of 30 have been overlooked during the selection. Also, the likes of Aditya Waghmode who was the highest run scorer of the Baroda team in the last season of Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy scoring 364 runs and Swapnil Singh, who had an all-round performance scoring 216 runs and took 10 wickets were overlooked,” Irfan Pathan observes.

“Requesting all members of the BCA to look into this and condemn such actions since they’re not good for the game of cricket,” the former India all-rounder added.

During the difficult times of this pandemic wherein mental health of a player is of utmost importance as they have to stay in a bio-bubble as well as keep themselves focused on the game, such incidents may have adverse effects on a player and should be avoided.#MentalHealth pic.twitter.com/n3V2kKeO4G

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 12, 2021

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