Irfan Pathan was one of the best all-rounders in Indian cricket in his time, as the man from Baroda showed his potential both with the bat and ball whenever he was called upon.
The left-arm fast bowler, along with his elder Yusuf Pathan, donned the India blue for many years in the first decade of the 21st century. Irfan broke into the Indian team, way before his older sibling as he made his Test debut back in 2003. Yusuf, on the other hand, made it to the Indian team in 2007 and was part of the famous T20 World Cup-winning squad.
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However, things started to get ugly when Irfan was let go by the then Indian coach, Gary Kirsten, because he was deemed surplus to his needs.
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Irfan Pathan reveals reason for being dropped from the Indian team
The former Indian all-rounder recently appeared in a talk show named Extra Innings on the Sony Sports Network, discussing the details of the 1st Test between India and England.
On the show, Irfan took the opportunity to reveal why he was dropped from the national team setup despite a flurry of good performances. Check out the tweet below.
𝘒𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘣𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘺𝘰 𝘬𝘪...𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘬𝘪 𝘻𝘶𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘪! 😊#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings | @IrfanPathan @rpsingh @Vimalwa pic.twitter.com/AkdeeMzz67
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 24, 2025
Irfan mentioned that it was none other than his own brother, Yusuf Pathan, who replaced him in the national team even after a tremendous outing in the previous series against Sri Lanka.
"My brother took my place in the team. My brother and I won a match against Sri Lanka in 2009. I had also taken four wickets in two matches. So I thought that now my place was fixed."
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Just when Irfan thought that his place was safe in the team, he was dropped from the starting eleven in the New Zealand series.
He further mentioned that the then-India coach, Gary Kirsten, told him upfront that they were considering his brother Yusuf for the no. 7 position due to his power-hitting and his ability to bowl a few overs of spin.
"I did not play a match in New Zealand, and I was dropped after that. Gary Kristen told me, 'I am sorry, but there's no place for you because we are considering your brother for the No. 7 position."
Irfan further added that it hurts when someone comes and replaces you straightaway, even after performing consistently for years. He admitted that he felt bad for some time, but was happy that his brother was getting a chance to represent the country further.