From the many matches that they played together, one Irfan Pathan performance is etched permanently in Lakshmipathy Balaji’s conciousness. “Who can forget the hat-trick that Irfan took in the Karachi Test versus Pakistan in 2006,” Balaji would tell you while speaking about the junior of the Pathan brothers.
Irfan, who made his India debut in December 2003, announced retirement from all forms of cricket on Saturday.
Pacers Balaji and Irfan together played an important role in India’s victorious 2003-04 tour of Pakistan.
Speaking to The Telegraph on Sunday, Balaji blamed injuries for Irfan not being able to do full justice to his enormous talent.
“We started playing together since our U-19 days and we played a fair bit in Chennai too. I think he was a bit unfortunate as he sustained injuries that made things tougher for him. He deserved much more than he got,” Balaji, now a part of the Chennai Super Kings coaching staff, said.
“I feel against Pakistan and Australia, he was most successful. We shared the new ball in some matches (ODIs) in Australia (in the 2003-04 tour) and also in Pakistan, which certainly was a fantastic tour,” Balaji recalled.
Yusuf Pathan Sourced by the Telegraph
But according to Irfan’s elder brother Yusuf, the left-hander has no complaints or regrets for not being able to don the India cap for a greater period of time.
“He (Irfan) has done very well and he has achieved a lot… He is satisfied with what he has got and what came his way,” Yusuf said.
Former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale, who was one of the national selectors when Irfan came into the international scene, echoed Balaji when he said that injuries were responsible to a certain degree in cutting short the left-arm pacer’s India career.
“Irfan was someone who was very good with the ball and also with the bat at times. He was really effective when there was swing, but he was laid low by injuries… That’s the sad part,” Jagdale said.
Maestro Sachin Tendulkar too spoke highly of Irfan.
“From swinging the Cricket ball, to swinging the bat for those big hits, you’ve done India proud so many times. It was a pleasure playing with you. Enjoy your 2nd innings just like you played your 1st,” Sachin Tendulkar wrote on his Twitter handle.
