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‘Smells like Indian curry': Irfan Pathan opens up on racist taunts from Aussie fans during 2008 Perth Test
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has shared the story behind his famous 'tongue out' celebration during the Perth Test match in 2008. Pathan noted how his celebration came in response to some racial gestures made by the Australian crowd.
In an interaction with The Lallantop, Pathan said, "When I was fielding at the boundary line, they targeted me by saying things like, 'You have eaten Indian curry, you're smelling like Indian curry.' The Australian crowd try to get under your skin. I didn't change my field position and instead gave them replies," Irfan said during an interview with The Lallantop.
"When I took a wicket, I took my tongue out to indicate that my tongue is very clean and there's no smell. So, that celebration was for the crowd," the former India cricketer added.
Notably, Australia and India have had a tough rivalry in Test cricket, which has only peaked in recent years as India won two back-to-back Border-Gavaskar Trophies, followed by a win by the Aussies in the 2025 edition of the series.
India eventually won the Perth Test match by 72 runs, and Pathan was named the player of the match with scores of 28 and 46 with the bat, along with 2 wickets in the first innings and 3 wickets in the second innings.
Pathan also went on to narrate the story of how MS Dhoni did not want him in the side despite him being in form and performing for the team.
"It was back in 2009, when we were in New Zealand. Before that, my brother (Yusuf Pathan) and I had won matches in Sri Lanka. The situation in which we had pulled a win—if it had been anyone else in our place, they wouldn't have been dropped for a year. In that match against Sri Lanka, we needed 60 runs from just 27-28 balls, and we won it from there," Irfan told the publication.
"In New Zealand, I was benched for the first match, the second match, and the third match as well. The fourth match was a draw because of rain. I wasn't in the final match either. Then I asked Gary sir why I had been dropped. If there was something I needed to improve, he could tell me, but I wanted to know the reason I was left out," he added.
When prompted why he was left out of the playing XI, Pathan said that these decisions are the call of the captain.
