Irfan Pathan is counted among the legendary all-rounders of India of his time. He led Team India to victory many times on his own. He had also faced a lot of difficulties before his debut in international cricket. However, very few people would know that once while returning after playing a match, he was thrashed fiercely by some people in the bus. Irfan Pathan himself shared this incident of assault with him on Star Sports. Anchor Jatin Sapru and Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Sanjay Bangar were also present at that time.
Irfan Pathan said, ‘There is a place in Madhya Pradesh, Bhind. There I went to play a cricket match. The match was over and I was just returning. There was nothing in the seat of the bus to lean back. So I had to sit very carefully. We used to grab the seat in front of us whenever there was a pothole etc. or the driver used to brake too fast.
Irfan further said, ‘Suddenly there was a very loud jolt. I grabbed whatever came in my hand to take care of myself. After a few moments I realized that I had made a big mistake, because she was the peak of a newlywed. What was it then, the people sitting in the bus beat me up a lot. They thought that I had deliberately done this to the woman.
Irfan Pathan said, ‘However, after much persuasion by me, he realized the reality. I told them that because of the fear of falling, suddenly their top came in my hand. I didn’t have any bad intentions. After this they also said sorry to me.
During the conversation, Irfan Pathan also told that after doing mischief, he used to trap his elder brother Yusuf to divert his father’s attention from himself. He laughed and said that this sequence continues even today. Born on 27 October 1984 in Vadodara, Gujarat, Irfan Pathan played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20 matches for India in his career. In this he scored 1105, 1544 and 172 runs respectively. At the same time, he took 100 wickets in Tests, 173 in ODIs and 28 in T20 Internationals.