Top 3 moments from Irfan Pathan's international career
Irfan Pathan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on the 4th of January as he brought his topsy-turvy career to an end.
After hogging the spotlight in the early part of the 2000s, the left-arm fast bowler fell off a cliff slightly towards the end of that decade as injuries and constant chopping and changing meant that he was isolated on the periphery more often.
Yet, despite not featuring for India quite as frequently over the past decade, the pacer enjoyed a few memorable moments in national colours, especially when he was firing on all cylinders.
In his pomp, Irfan was perhaps one of the best swing bowlers India had produced in recent memory, a fact emphasized by the sheer number of wickets he scalped in the formative stages of his international career.
However, rather unfortunately, that trend was nipped in a bud, although he did produce moments of pure genius when he was on song.
Thus, as a tribute to a briefly sparkling career, we would take a trip down memory lane and relive Irfan’s best moments in international cricket.
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Without further ado, here is a look at them.
#3 Man of the Match performance at Perth
Back in 2008, India were embroiled in a titanic Test tussle Down Under against Australia. The Men In Blue had lost the first couple of games and faced the daunting prospect of locking horns with the hosts at the WACA.
Unsurprisingly, not many touted the visitors to ruffle the Aussies’ feathers. However, they managed to do so and they did it with aplomb, meaning that they registered a historic triumph.
And, while the headlines were hogged by the more illustrious names, it was Irfan Pathan who quietly walked away with the Man of the Match prize.
The left-arm pacer acted as the perfect foil for the likes of Ishant Sharma and RP Singh, in the process, bagging 5 wickets across the Test. More importantly though, he popped up with crucial runs in both essays, thereby ensuring that India provided the requisite resistance to script a victory.
While in the first innings, the all-rounder scored a valuable 28, coming in at No.8, he bettered his tally in the second innings by notching up a vital 46, when sent in to bat at No.3.
Consequently, he scooped up the Man of the Match award as that Indian side etched its name into cricketing folklore.