Gary Kirsten’s justification for not playing in any of the five One-Day Internationals during the 2009 all-format tour of New Zealand was disclosed by former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan. The two- and three-match T20I and Test series, respectively, were followed by the ODIs.
Irfan Pathan stated that in order for him to get better in those areas, he wanted to know why he was dropped.
I missed the first, second, and third games in New Zealand because I was benched. Rain caused the fourth game to end in a tie. I also did not participate in the final match. I then questioned Gary, sir, about my dismissal. Irfan said in a video of The Lallantop, “He could tell me if there was something I needed to improve, but I wanted to know why I was left out.”
According to the former all-rounder, he was discarded by then-skipper MS Dhoni. Irfan Pathan, however, stated that he had no resentment towards Dhoni because of that call.
Kirsten provided me with two explanations. “There are things that are out of my control,” he stated. That’s exactly what Gary said. He didn’t tell me whose hands it was in when I asked. Whose hands it was in, I already knew. The captain’s selection determines the playing XI. The management, coach, and captain have the last say in the matter. The captain at the time was Dhoni. Every captain has the right to lead the squad anyway they see fit, therefore I won’t discuss whether that choice was the right one,” Irfan Pathan continued.
The former cricket player turned broadcaster revealed that rather than using a bowling all-rounder like him, the management wanted to include a batting all-rounder like Yusuf Pathan. Additionally, Irfan Pathan believed that no other player would have been removed from the lineup, particularly considering the type of game-changing performances the two had given during the previous Sri Lankan tour.
They were searching for a batting all-rounder at number seven, according to the second response. It’s fair enough that I was an all-round bowler and my brother was an all-around batsman. Despite their differences, the team could only accommodate one of the two. These days, if you ask whether you need two all-rounders, people will gladly accept both, Irfan said.
India
