Sipu Jha
NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has stirred fresh controversy by backing Irfan Pathan’s explosive revelations about his long-standing rivalry with Shahid Afridi, calling out the former Pakistan captain for resorting to personal attacks.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Pathan, who enjoyed considerable success against Pakistan — with 67 wickets and 807 runs in Indo-Pak clashes — dismissed Afridi 11 times across formats, including a golden duck in the 2007 T20 World Cup final. Speaking to Lallantop, the former India all-rounder recalled how the rivalry turned bitter after Afridi mocked his identity in an interview.
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“Afridi had said, ‘I am the real Pathan, he is a fake Pathan’. Badtameez aadmi hai. Mujhe laga ki aap sirf mere baare mein nahi bol rahe ho, mere walid ke baare mein bhi baat kar rahe,” Pathan revealed. “So whenever I had the ball in hand, I made sure I dismissed him. I have shown him 11 times who the real Pathan is — in big moments, in series deciders, and in the World Cup final.”Kaneria, Afridi’s former teammate, echoed Pathan’s claims in a scathing social media post. “Irfan @IrfanPathan bhai, you’re absolutely right. He always resorts to personal attacks — be it on someone’s family or their religion. Class and decency clearly aren’t his strengths,” Kaneria wrote while sharing the interview clip.Pathan also recalled off-field flashpoints, including a fiery mid-air spat during India’s 2006 tour of Pakistan. “Afridi came and placed his hand on my head, messing up my hair. He asked me, ‘How are you kid?’ I said, ‘Since when have you become my father?’… Later, I told him, ‘He has eaten dog meat, he has been barking for a long time.’ After that, he couldn’t reply.”For Pathan, Afridi’s taunts only served as fuel. “On the field, my performances were the perfect answer. I showed him who the real Pathan is.”Kaneria’s intervention has reignited an already fiery debate, bringing back to spotlight one of cricket’s most infamous rivalries.
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