On Sunday, Former India pacer Irfan Pathan took a dig at MS Dhoni and said that he didn't back him. Though he did not take any names, it was pretty much clear that he was not happy with how MS Dhoni dealt with him.
Pathan, 35, announced his retirement here on Saturday, saying "most players start their India career at 27-28 but I ended up playing my last game at that stage".
Irfan Pathan told Sportstar that, “Many people feel I did not get the backing from the captain or the team management. I think that’s not in my control. All I cared about was doing well for the team and I am glad I could do that. But yes, one thing disappoints me. When I took my 300th wicket, I was 27. People peak at 27, but I did not play international cricket after that. Why? I don’t have an answer to that. Maybe, in the future, things will come out in the open.” Pathan turned 27 in 2011 when MS Dhoni was the captain of the team across formats.
“When people play until 35, they end up performing even better. If I had played for that long, maybe, I would’ve had a more glittering career. But I am proud with whatever I have done — with both bat and ball. I have been able to make an impact on Indian cricket and I am happy about that,” told Sportstar.
Pathan featured in 29 Tests (1105 runs and 100 wickets), 120 ODIs (1544 runs and 173 wickets) and 24 T20 Internationals (172 runs and 28 wickets). Many former players feel he could have played for much longer. Form and injury issues prevented him from realising his true potential.
The 35-year-old had played a pivotal role in the final of the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup against Pakistan in 2007. He picked up three wickets and returned with the figures of 3-16 in his four overs and was named as the Player of the Match.
Pathan is one of the three bowlers to have claimed a Test hat-trick for India and the first in the world to claim it in the first over of the match. The swanky left-arm pacer featured in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is for India, bagging 301 wickets across all formats. He also managed to score 2,821 runs studded with a single hundred and 11 half-centuries. He last played a match for India in 2012 against Sri Lanka. Pathan is currently performing the role of mentor-cum-coach for the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team.
