“Eaten Dog Meat,” Irfan Pathan’s Scathing Line Silenced Shahid Afridi During Flight Journey

Irfan Pathan claimed Shahid Afridi was acting like his 'father' but was silenced when he remarked that Afridi must have 'eaten dog meat.'

“Eaten Dog Meat,” Irfan Pathan’s Scathing Line Silenced Shahid Afridi During Flight Journey

Irfan Pathan revealed that he told Shahid Afridi that he had 'eaten dog meat' back in 2006. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

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Ex-India all-rounder Irfan Pathan made some shocking revelations in a recent interview with Lallantop, with one of them being his earlier interactions with former Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi. Pathan revealed that he once silenced Afridi on a flight by telling him that he had ‘eaten dog meat’.

Shahid Afridi remains one of the most controversial figures in Pakistani cricket history, known for his inflammatory remarks. The 48-year-old former Pakistani all-rounder, who played 398 ODIs and 99 T20Is over a two-decade long career, frequently makes headlines. Earlier this year, he was at odds with former India opener Shikhar Dhawan for his controversial comments regarding the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

Now, another ex-India player has spoken out about Afridi’s provocative behavior. Irfan Pathan recounted a heated yet humorous conversation he had with Shahid Afridi on a flight. The incident Pathan talked about took place after the third Test match, during India’s 2005-06 tour to Pakistan, which was the Indian team’s last visit to the country. At the time, Irfan Pathan was 22 years old, while Afridi was a senior to him.

Speaking with Lallantop host Saurabh Dwivedi, Pathan revealed that it was Afridi who started the argument by attempting to bully him, messing with Pathan’s hair and calling him a ‘kid’ on the flight from Karachi to Lahore, which both teams were on. Afridi’s gesture of touching Pathan’s hair did not sit well with the Indian all-rounder, who stated that the former Pakistani captain was acting like a ‘child’.

During the 2006 tour, we were flying from Karachi to Lahore… Shahid Afridi came and put his hand on my head and messed up my hair. He asked me, ‘How are you, kid?’ I thought, since when did he become my father. He behaved like a child.

Irfan Pathan even added that Shahid Afridi had also used some abusive language towards him. He then added that he had a conversation with another Pakistani all-rounder, Abdul Razzaq, who was seated next to him, which ultimately left Afridi speechless. Pathan shared that instead of directly confronting Afridi, he spoke to Razzaq, casually asking him about the different kinds of meat available in Pakistan.

Abdul Razzaq was sitting near me. I asked him what kind of meat is available here… I asked whether dog meat is available. Hearing me, a surprised Razzaq questioned, ‘Hey Irfan, why are you asking this?’

The ex-India star said that Abdul Razzaq was taken aback and politely asked him why he was asking. The 40-year-old then stated that he calmly responded to Razzaq, in Shahid Afridi’s presence, by wittily exclaiming that Afridi had ‘eaten dog meat’, which was the reason he was ‘constantly barking’ at him. Pathan further stated that he never had a conversation with the Pakistani all-rounder after the incident.

I replied that he [Shahid Afridi] has eaten dog meat, he has been barking for so long. After this, Afridi could not say anything. If he had said anything, I would have said, ‘Look, he is barking more.’

The Test series in which the two players participated ended 1-0 in Pakistan’s favor, after they won the final of the three Tests, played in Karachi. On the other hand, the preceding ODI series was won convincingly by the visitors, 4-1, with Irfan Pathan finishing with 9 wickets in total.

Irfan Pathan Indirectly Blames MS Dhoni as the Reason Behind Early End to International Career

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan subtly blamed MS Dhoni for his exclusion from the Indian team in 2009, which ultimately led to an early end to his international career. Pathan claimed he was dropped from the team despite a few strong performances leading up to that point.

Irfan Pathan and MS Dhoni
Irfan Pathan blamed MS Dhoni for his omission from the Indian team in 2009. (via Crictracker)

Pathan revealed that he was informed by then-India coach Gary Kirsten why he was left out of the playing XI, against New Zealand. The 40-year-old shared that Kirsten explained that the decision was out of his hands, which led Pathan to believe that it was captain MS Dhoni who had chosen his brother Yusuf Pathan over him, as the team was in need of a new no. 7 all-rounder, with better batting capabilities.

Irfan Pathan’s role in the team began to diminish from that point on, and his final appearance for India came in a T20I against South Africa in 2012. Eight years later, the all-rounder announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, having played just over 170 matches for India.