Irfan Pathan facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Irfan Khan Pathan
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| Born | 27 October 1984 Baroda, Gujarat, India |
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| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm medium-fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Yusuf Pathan (brother) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 248) | 12 December 2003 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 5 April 2008 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 153) | 9 January 2004 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 4 August 2012 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 7) | 1 December 2006 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 2 October 2012 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2017 | Baroda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Middlesex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Kings XI Punjab | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Delhi Daredevils (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Sunrisers Hyderabad (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Chennai Super Kings (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Rising Pune Supergiants (squad no. 28) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Gujarat Lions (squad no. 56) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Kandy Tuskers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 6 January 2019
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Irfan Pathan, born on October 27, 1984, is a former Indian cricketer. He was known as a great all-rounder, meaning he was good at both batting and bowling. He was a key player for the Indian cricket team.
Irfan was part of the team that won the first-ever ICC Twenty20 World Cup in 2007. He also helped India win the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. After his playing career, he became a commentator and analyst.
Contents
Early Cricket Days
Irfan started his career as a fast-medium bowler who could make the ball swing a lot. He joined the national team when he was just 19. People even compared his bowling style to the famous Pakistani bowler, Wasim Akram.
In 2006, Irfan made history. He became the only bowler to take a hat-trick (three wickets in a row) in the very first over of a Test match. This amazing feat happened against Pakistan in Karachi.
However, after 2006, Irfan started to bowl a bit slower. He couldn't make the ball swing as much, so he took fewer wickets. Even though his batting was still good, he was mainly known as a bowler. Because of this, he was dropped from the team for a while. He made a big comeback in the 2007 World Twenty20 tournament.
In 2004, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Irfan Pathan the "ICC Men's Emerging Player of the Year." This award is given to a young player who shows great promise. He played a big part in India's wins in both One Day International (ODI) and Test series against Pakistan in 2004. The media even called him the "blue-eyed boy" of Indian cricket, meaning he was a favorite.
Later, Greg Chappell, a famous Australian batsman, became India's coach in 2005. He saw that Irfan had great potential as a batsman. Irfan worked hard to improve his batting and become a true all-rounder. He even opened the batting sometimes in ODIs. He scored 93 runs in a Test match against Sri Lanka in 2005. He made three scores over 80 runs in just four Test innings against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
For the first nine months under Coach Chappell, Irfan played very well with both bat and ball. He scored runs regularly and took many important wickets. He even reached number 2 in the ICC's ODI rankings for all-rounders. Many critics compared him to Kapil Dev, another legendary Indian all-rounder.
Return to International Cricket
Irfan returned to international cricket in September 2007 for the first World Twenty20 tournament. He took three wickets in the final and was named "man of the match" as India beat Pakistan. He also became the first Indian bowler in a T20 World Cup to take a wicket on the very first ball of his debut match.
His great performance earned him a spot back in the ODI team. He played regularly for about a year. However, his bowling became more expensive, meaning he gave away more runs. He also faced challenges with his form and injuries.
In late 2007, Irfan was called back to the Test team after 19 months. He scored his first-ever Test century (100 runs). But he couldn't keep his place in the team because his bowling wasn't as effective when only two fast bowlers were needed. Irfan played his last Test match for India in April 2008 against South Africa.
He continued to play well in domestic cricket, scoring runs and taking wickets. In the 2011–12 Ranji Trophy, he was the top wicket-taker. These strong performances helped him get recalled to the national team again.
Life Beyond Cricket
Irfan Pathan has also explored other interests outside of cricket.
Dance and Acting
In 2015, Irfan was a contestant on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, a popular dance reality show. He showed off his dancing skills and stayed on the show for six weeks.
Irfan made his acting debut in the 2022 Indian film Cobra.
Cricket Academy
Irfan Pathan and his elder brother, Yusuf Pathan, started the Cricket Academy Of Pathans together. This academy helps young cricketers learn and improve their skills. Famous former Indian coach Kapil Dev and Cameron Tradell are chief mentors at the academy.
Personal Life
Irfan Pathan was born on October 27, 1984, in Baroda, Gujarat, India. He comes from a Pashtun family in Gujarat. He grew up with his elder brother, Yusuf Pathan, in a mosque in Vadodara. Their father was a muezzin, who calls Muslims to prayer.
Even though their parents hoped they would become Islamic scholars, Irfan and Yusuf loved cricket. They often played on the grounds near and inside the mosque. Sometimes, their father had to apologize to people visiting the mosque because of their games. At first, Irfan's bowling wasn't very strong. But with hard work and long training sessions, he steadily improved.
Irfan married Safa Baig, a model from Hyderabad, on February 4, 2016, in Mecca. They have two sons.
Domestic Cricket Career
Irfan's talent was noticed early. Under the guidance of former Indian captain Datta Gaekwad, he was selected for the Under-14 Baroda cricket team. When he was chosen for the Under-15 national tournament, he finally received a full set of cricket equipment. Before that, he had to use second-hand gear because his family didn't have much money.
In December 1997, Irfan joined the Baroda Under-16 team. He later moved up to the Under-19 team. In the 2000–01 season, he was promoted to the senior Baroda team. He helped Baroda win the Ranji Trophy that season.
He continued to play well in various domestic tournaments. In 2003–04, he was the top bowler in an Asian youth ODI competition in Pakistan. He took 18 wickets at a very low average and was named player of the tournament. This led to his selection for the Indian national squad for a Test series in Australia in late 2003.
In 2019, Irfan joined the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team as a coach and mentor. In 2022, the Bhilwara Kings selected him to captain their team in the Legends League Cricket.
International Highlights
Test Debut and Early Success (2003–2005)
Irfan made his Test debut in December 2003 against Australia. He was just 19 years old. He took important wickets, including Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist, showing his ability to swing the ball.
In the ODI tournament that followed, Irfan was the leading wicket-taker for India. He took 16 wickets and earned his first "man of the match" award against Zimbabwe.
In 2004, he was a key bowler in India's Test tour to Pakistan. He helped India win their first series against Pakistan in two decades. He also continued to take many wickets in ODIs.
Golden Form (2005)
Irfan continued his excellent form in ODIs at the 2004 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. He was the top wicket-taker with 14 wickets.
In December 2004, Irfan had a fantastic Test tour to Bangladesh. He took 5 wickets in the first innings and 6 wickets in the second innings of the first Test. This was his first "ten-wicket haul" (10 wickets in a match) and he won "man of the match." He took 18 wickets in the series and was named "man of the series."
Ups and Downs (2005-2006)
In early 2005, Irfan faced some challenges. He took fewer wickets in a home Test series against Pakistan. He was even dropped from the ODI team for a short time.
However, he worked hard on his batting with coach Greg Chappell. He scored 83 runs in an ODI against Sri Lanka. He also took many wickets, earning two "man of the match" awards in that series. He continued his strong form against South Africa.
In 2006, Irfan made history again in a Test match against Pakistan in Karachi. He took a hat-trick in the very first over of the match! He dismissed three top batsmen: Salman Butt, Younis Khan, and Mohammad Yousuf.
Later in 2006, Irfan's bowling form started to dip again. He gave away more runs and took fewer wickets. He was even sent home from a tour to South Africa to regain his form in domestic cricket.
Comeback and Retirement (2007-2020)
Irfan made a strong comeback in the 2007 World Twenty20. His excellent performance helped India win the tournament. He was recalled to the ODI and Test teams. In 2007, he scored his first Test century against Pakistan in Bangalore.
In 2008, he played a crucial role in India's Test win against Australia in Perth. He took five wickets in the match and was named "man of the match."
Irfan continued to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for teams like Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils. He also played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014.
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In December 2011, Irfan was recalled to India's ODI squad. He showed good all-round performances, helping India win series against West Indies and Sri Lanka. He was also part of the Indian squad for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 tournament.
In 2012, he scored his highest first-class score of 121 runs in the Ranji Trophy. However, he injured his knee and had to take a break from cricket.
Irfan Pathan officially retired from all forms of cricket in January 2020.
Images for kids
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Irfan Pathan
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Irfan Pathan was born in the western Indian city of Vadodara (formerly Baroda).
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Pathan made his Test debut in December 2003, following an injury to the Baroda left-armer Zaheer Khan.
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Pathan bowling in the nets.
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Irfan Pathan taking his run-up in an ODI against Australia in 2012.
