Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan said that it was Sachin Tendulkar who gave the idea of promoting him to bat at number three. Let us tell you that Pathan was sent to bat at number three for the first time in ODI against Sri Lanka in 2005. In this, he scored 83 runs in 70 balls. India won the match by 152 runs.
After this, Irfan batted at the top order in many matches. He joined the Indian team as a fast bowler. Many veterans believe that after performing well in the first innings, the management had planned to prepare him as an all-rounder. This is why Irfan's career could not last long.
Irfan said, "I have said many times even after retirement that Greg Chappell has no role in ending my career. As far as the decision of promoting me for batting at number 3, was Sachin, not Chappell." He further said, "Sachin Paji advised Rahul Dravid (captain) to send me at number 3. He said that he (Irfan) has the power to hit six, can run fast and can also play fast bowlers well, so he should promote in batting. "
Irfan said, "When Muttiah Muralitharan was in his brilliant form, I was promoted for the first time in batting. Dilhara Fernando was also bowling slower with a split-finger, causing a lot of trouble for the batsmen. Then I was sent to bat aggressively against Muralitharan and Fernando so, that the team can get benefit. Therefore it is not correct to say that Chappell spoiled my career. He was not Indian, so it is easy to target him. "
Let us tell you that former all-rounder Irfan has taken 100 in 29 Tests and 173 wickets in 120 ODIs. In these matches, he has scored 1105 and 1544 runs respectively. He has 28 wickets and 172 runs in 24 T20s. Irfan has taken 80 wickets and scored 1139 runs in 103 matches of IPL.
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