'Tu kab se mera baap ban gaya?': How Irfan Pathan shut an abusive Shahid Afridi up completely
Former Indian cricket all-rounder
Irfan Pathan
has revealed details of a heated exchange with Pakistan's
Shahid Afridi
during a 2006 flight from Karachi to Lahore when both teams were traveling together.
The incident, which occurred during India's tour of Pakistan, began when Afridi approached Pathan on the flight, messed up his hair, and called him a kid, leading to a verbal altercation between the two players.
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The rivalry between Pathan and Afridi extended beyond this incident, with Pathan having significant success against Pakistan throughout his career. He claimed 67 wickets across formats and scored 807 runs, including a century, against the arch-rivals.
Pathan notably dismissed Afridi for a golden duck during the 2007 T20 World Cup final, adding to their on-field battles.
"During the 2006 tour, we were travelling by flight from Karachi to Lahore. Both teams were travelling together. Afridi came and placed his hand on my head, messing up my hair. He asked me, 'How are you kid?' I said, 'Since when have you become my father?'. The childish behaviour was actually his. He was not my friend.
After that, Afridi said some abusive words to me. His seat was right next to mine," Pathan recounted on Lallantop.
The incident escalated when Pathan engaged in conversation with Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who was seated next to him during the flight. The discussion took an unexpected turn when Pathan inquired about local meat varieties.
"Abdul Razzaq was sitting with me then. I asked him what kind of meat is available here.
He told me about the different kinds of meat. Then I asked if dog meat was available. Afridi was sitting right there. Razzaq was shocked to hear this and said, 'Hey Irfan, why are you saying this?'" Pathan detailed.
"I said, 'He (Afridi) has eaten dog meat, he has been barking for a long time.' After that, Afridi couldn't say anything. Whatever he might have said, I would have just said, 'Look, he is barking again.' After this, he remained silent throughout the flight. From this incident, he understood that he could not win against me verbally. That's why he never said anything to me again," Pathan explained.
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