An old interview of Indian bowler Irfan Pathan, where he took a subtle dig at revered captain MS Dhoni saying he doesn’t believe in pleasing anyone, has gone viral on social media.

 

When Irfan Pathan made his international debut in 2003, he was considered one of India’s most promising fast bowlers because of his ability to swing the ball both ways. The left-arm pacer impressed early in his career with some outstanding spells including a hat-trick against Pakistan.

 

 

However, his rise was short-lived, and his international career ended abruptly despite taking a five-wicket haul in his last ODI against Sri Lanka in 2012. Many believe former India captain MS Dhoni played a role in his exit. Pathan himself revealed details of candid conversations he had with Dhoni about his place in the team.

 

An old interview of Pathan's, recorded five years ago with Sports journalist Vikrant Gupta for SportsTak has resurfaced on social media and sparked fresh debate.

 

"During the 2008 Australia series, Mahi bhai's statement came out in the media that Irfan wasn't bowling well. So I thought I had bowled well throughout the series, I went and asked Mahi bhai about this. Sometimes, statements get twisted by the media, so I also wanted to clarify it. So Mahi bhai said, 'No Irfan, there is nothing like this, everything's going as per plan.' When you get a reply like this, then you believe that okay, you do what you can. Also if you keep asking for explanations again and again after that, you hurt your self-respect," Pathan said in the interview.

 

Pathan also took a subtle dig at Dhoni, saying he never believed in pleasing anyone.

 

"I don't have a habit of setting up hookah in someone's room or talking about it. Everyone knows. Sometimes if you don't speak about it, it's better. A cricketer's job is to perform on the field and that is what I used to focus on," he added.

 

Pathan played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is for India. He scored 2,821 runs across formats, including one century and eleven fifties, and picked up 301 wickets.