Selectors Made Me ‘Buddha’ At The Age Of 30: Irfan Pathan
Published - 10 May 2020, 12:24 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:28 AM
Former India allrounder Irfan Pathan has lashed out at the Indian selectors for the way they treated him. He retired from all forms of cricket earlier this year after perhaps losing all hopes of making it to the national team. Irfan Pathan’s career did not really finished in the manner many would have thought of.
In the early years of his career, Irfan Pathan was considered by many as the most talented swing and seam bowler to emerge from India since Kapil Dev. He picked up a Test hat-trick in Pakistan in 2006 and still remains the only bowler to do so in the very over of a match. In 2007, he was the Man of the Match when India beat Pakistan in the final of the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup.
In addition to his bowling, Irfan Pathan did well with the bat too as he was promoted as an opener or a No 3 a few times for the team’s cause. In 29 Tests, he averaged 31.57 with the bat, including a century and six fifties in 40 innings. In ODIs and T20Is, he averaged 23.39 and 24.57 respectively.
But things did not really unfold in a good manner for him towards the end of 2000s as he struggled to deliver. He did earn a few recalls but never really managed to deliver like the way he did at the start of his career. Irfan Pathan played his last Test way back in 2008 while his last ODI and T20I appearance came in 2012. The former allrounder has now said that the selectors never really backed him.
“Mindset in India is different from England and Australia. I remember Michael Hussey made his international debut at the age of 29, he became one of the greats for Australia when he finished his career, he’s remembered as Mr. cricket. But, in India, no player makes a debut at the age of 30, selectors will not entertain such players,” Irfan Pathan said.
He further said that the selectors sidelined him just because he had touched the age of 30.
“Selectors made me ‘buddha’ at the age of 30. There’s no communication from the board and selectors. If they say ‘Irfan, you give your best for one year, and you can be available for Team India’, I will obviously give my best by leaving everything aside, but there’s no one to communicate at all,” he said.
Overall, he represented India in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is. The former allrounder picked up 301 international wickets and scored more than 2500 runs across formats.
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