‘I showed him who the real Pathan is’ – Irfan recalls ‘ugly rivalry’ with Afridi; ex-PAK spinner backs Indian quick

India’s Irfan Pathan and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi were never the best of mates, and their rivalry dates back almost two decades, when the Indian seamer first emerged on the international scene. Pathan tasted enormous success against Afridi, dismissing him 11 times across formats, including on a golden duck in the T20 WC Final in 2007. Recalling several instances of the past (against Shahid), Irfan revealed one occasion that turned things bitter between the two. However, what spiced things up was one of Afridi’s former teammates, Danish Kaneria’s approval of Irfan’s impression of the ex-Pakistan captain.

During his recent interview on Lallantop, Pathan called out Afridi for resorting to personal attacks, revealing an instance when Afridi mocked his (Pathan’s) identity during an interview, instigating him to let his bowling do all the talking on the field.

“Afridi had said, ‘I am the real Pathan, he is a fake Pathan’. I said, “You are a rude person. I thought you were only talking about me, but you're also talking about my father,” Pathan revealed. “So whenever I had the ball in hand, I made sure I dismissed him. I have shown him 11 times who the real Pathan is — in big moments, in series deciders, and in the World Cup final.”

Not only this, but Pathan also shared a mid-air instance (during India’s 2006 tour of Pakistan) when Afridi tried being cheeky with him.

“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?’… Later, I told him, ‘He has eaten dog meat, he has been barking for a long time.’ After that, he couldn’t reply,” Pathan revealed.

“On the field, my performances were the perfect answer. I showed him who the real Pathan is,” the former Indian pacer added.

Kaneria backs Irfan

Often known to speak his mind, former Pakistan spinner and Afridi’s ex-teammate Kaneria backed Pathan’s impression of Shahid. Taking to his social media handle (X), Kaneria reposted the interview’s clip and wrote, Irfan @IrfanPathan bhai, you’re absolutely right. He always resorts to personal attacks, be it on someone’s family or their religion. Class and decency clearly aren’t his strengths.”

Meanwhile, despite escalating tensions between India and Pakistan over recent happenings, the arch-rivals are placed in the same group (Group A) in the continental tournament, starting September 9 in the UAE. India and Pakistan will face off on Sunday (Sep 14) in Dubai.