Sledging is always a part and parcel of the sport, and every now and then, flashpoints between cricketers occur on the field. There are some occasions when some altercations don’t even make it to the broadcast cameras. One such incident has now been revisited by former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan. The T20 World Cup-winner spilt the beans on his tussle with former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara during a 2005 Test in New Delhi.
The incident happened during India’s batting innings when Irfan came out to open alongside Gautam Gambhir. The left-handed batter went on to play a knock of 93, but his knock also involved a major flashpoint with Sangakkara.
Pathan revealed that during Sri Lankan batting innings, the ball was changed by the umpires, much to the displeasure of Sangakkara and the remainder of the visiting lineup. So when the Indian side came out to bat, the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper went after Pathan, accusing the hosts of resorting to “cheating”. Moreover, the Sri Lankan great also questioned the upbringing of Indian players.
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It all started after Irfan hit Muttiah Muralitharan for a couple of sixes, and this was enough for Sangakkara to get riled up and go after Irfan. However, the Indian all-rounder did not take the comments lying down as he too had a thing or two to say.
“There was a Test match in Delhi. I opened and made 93. After the first innings, when we went to bowl, the box of balls had changed, or something like that happened, and the Sri Lankan players were not happy. Sangakkara was the most vocal of all. Then, when I went to bat, I had zero idea what had happened; I was asked to open. I hit Muralitharan for two sixes,” Pathan said on JioHotstar’s ‘Cheeky Singles’ programme.
“If he is getting hit for sixes with the new ball, it means you have derailed the opposition’s planning a bit. Suddenly, Sangakkara started saying, ‘You guys cheat, your parents teach you all this and blah blah.’ He went personal, and I also answered back. He started it,” he added.
Tensions end
A few years later, after the incident, both Irfan and Sangakkara shared the dressing room for the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and formed a solid friendship. The former India all-rounder revealed that he apologised to Sangakkara and the latter did the same, and this led to the duo burying the hatchet.
“After the auction, I saw I would be playing with Sangakkara at Punjab. Now I was eating with his family, and I did not know what to do. I went and told him sorry. He also apologised, and then we became good friends. Emotions are high, and you always make mistakes. It matters how maturely you handle things.”