Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan on Saturday announced his retirement from the International Cricket. Known as India’s Swing King, Irfan represented his country in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is and picked 301 wickets across all formats. The left-arm pacer showed his potential with the bat as well, making 1105 runs in Tests and 1544 runs in ODIs. Irfan made his debut in 2003 against Australia at the age of 19 was a regular member of the squad in the mid-2000s.
However, the 35-year-old struggled with regular injuries which affected his pace and swing. He started getting dropped from the squad on a regular basis. Irfan played his last Test against South Africa in 2008. However, he was still a part of the limited overs squad. He was a vital cog in team India’s T20 World Cup 2007 triumph. But his form took a dip after 2007.
He last played for India in October 2012.
In 2018, Irfan shifted his cricket base from Baroda to Jammu and Kashmir and took a dual role of player-cum-mentor in the side.
He last played a competitive match in February last year, for J&K in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Career Highlights
Irfan Pathan had plenty of highs in his career but his most cherishable moment as a bowler will always be his first-over Test hat-trick in 2006 against Pakistan.
He dismissed Salman Butt, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf in the first over of the Karachi Test in 2006 to claim a Test hat-trick.
He was the Man of the Match in the 2007 T20 World Cup final where he took India to victory with 3 wickets against Pakistan.
Irfan was also the Man of the Match in India's famous win in the Perth Test against Australia in 2008 after picking up five wickets.
