Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan lifted the lid on a selection disappointment from his playing days. Discussing “recency bias” in player selection, Pathan took a trip down memory lane. He revealed he was dropped from the team after an injury during Krishnamachari Srikkanth’s tenure as chairman of selectors.
‘Never returned to the national team’: Irfan Pathan shed light on his challenging period
“There I was, in the Indian team when Mr. Srikkanth was the selector,” Pathan said on Star Sports’ Ticket to World Cup show. “An injury sidelined me, and I was shown the exit door, never to return to the national team. That’s the truth, and I hold no grudges. I have immense respect for him, but the selection approach was different back then.“
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Pathan, who debuted in 2003, donned the Indian jersey a total of 173 times, including 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is. While Pathan said he hold no grudges to Srikkanth, his comments highlight the past tendency of selectors to overlook a player’s past achievements based solely on a recent injury or a single underwhelming performance.
Despite Pathan’s valuable contributions, his international career ended in 2012. He continued playing domestic cricket until 2019 before announcing his retirement in January 2020.