Mohammad Irfan Explains Why He Claimed He Ended Gautam Gambhir's Career

Updated - 13 Aug 2020, 01:04 AM

Mohammad Irfan (Credits: Twitter)

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Pakistan fast-bowler Mohammad Irfan has insisted that he played a crucial role in ending former India opener Gautam Gambhir’s career in international cricket. He had claimed the same previously too and has now explained the reason behind his comments.

Gautam Gambhir is one of the finest Indian openers of all time. The southpaw top-scored for India in the final of the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup and was a crucial member of the team across formats. Before retiring from the game in 2018, he represented India in 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is. He scored over 10,000 international runs.

Mohammad Irfan, however, feels that he played a big role in Gautam Gambhir’s retirement. The lanky pacer spoke at length about his duels with the former INdia batsman during an interaction with Sawera Pasha on the YouTube show ‘Cric Cast’.

Recalling his duel with Gautam Gambhir, the 7’1″ quick said:

“Actually whenever we have India-Pakistan matches, whoever does not perform well he becomes a zero and whoever performs becomes a hero.”

“The way I was bowling to Gautam Gambhir, he was not able to see the ball, the way he was playing my bouncer, everyone was saying that he is not looking like Gautam Gambhir,” he added.

He further explained that he felt he was responsible for ending Gautam Gambhir’s career, because the latter was dropped from the Indian team post the 2012/13 series between India and Pakistan and could not make a successful return to international cricket thereafter.

“Because there was so much pressure of my height and my bowling, so I had said from my side that I felt like that because after that he didn’t come back in the team, he was dropped from the team.”

“After that he played a few matches only and there also he could not perform. So, that was his last tour in 2012 when he played against me. So, that is why I said like that,” said the Pakistan star.