Irfan Pathan, a former India international, revealed a humorous incident involving Robin Uthappa from the 2007 T20 World Cup. The first iteration of the flagship game between India and Pakistan came down to the wire and a bowl-out competition ultimately decided the outcome.
For India, the bowling combinations were Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, and Robin Uthappa; for Pakistan, the positions were Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, and Shahid Afridi. The match began with legendary batsman Sehwag hitting the mark, but Pakistani bowler Arafat missed. Harbhajan struck the bull’s eye in the second round, but Gul missed the mark.
India won the match 3-0 as Uthappa came up for them in the third round and completed the task while Afridi missed it. Irfan Pathan disclosed that it was his turn to bowl 17 years later, but Uthappa grabbed the ball and continued on his own. Although Uthappa is a friend, the 39-year-old said that night he despised him.
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“Jana, turn that around. I chuckle, Robin Uthappa ball cheen ke gaya hai. Yes, we are the descendants of the deity Dushman. In the bowl-out, it was my turn, but Robin Uthappa grabbed the ball and proceeded ahead of me. Though he was my friend that day (laughs),” Pathan said on Star Sports.
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Pathan exposed Pakistan’s ignorance over the bowl-out. The players, he said, were stunned that such things happened in their sport because they had no notion.
“Kuch honewala hai aisa kuch pata hi nahi thi. Ish aisa kuch hai bhi ki hakke-bakke reh gaye ki? Then hum to tayaari kar rahe. Pakistan was clueless as to what would transpire following the tie. They were surprised to learn that there was a game similar to bowl-out. We have been practicing,” remarked Pathan.
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