Irfan Pathan: News

Touted as the successor of Kapil Dev due to his all-round skills and successor of Wasim Akram due to his ability to swing and seam the ball, former cricketer Irfan Pathan was one of the hottest prospects to wear the Indian jersey since the turn of this century. Hailing from Baroda, he made his first-class debut in the 2001-02 season. His first national call-up came when he was only 19 years old. In 2003, he made his international debut in a Test against Australia. His ODI debut came in the same tour as well. With an ability to swing the ball both ways, Pathan soon cemented his spot in the team. His best performance with the ball came against Pakistan in 2006, where he became the only bowler to take a hat-trick in the first over of a Test match. Pathab wasn't a stooge with the bat either. He was regularly pushed up the order, batting as high as number three. His form deteriorated after 2006. His last significant contribution came in the 2007 World T20, where he was the man of the match in the final. In 2020, he retired from all formats of cricket.