Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has spoken about the possible winners of the upcoming One Day series between India and Australia and mentioned that the hosts have a strong chance of emerging victorious. He further added that the Men in Blue have more confidence heading into the three-match series and the talent that they possess makes them the clear favorites.
“In the past, that wasn’t the case because they were doing really well. We were trying to match that level. I feel that Indian cricket is a notch ahead in terms of talent, in terms of cricket and in terms of confidence,” Pathan said.
“The only thing that will make it equal is the kind of pitches we are going to play in Australia because we do not have experience playing on those hard and bouncy pitches,” said Pathan, who recently called time on his international career.
The Baroda player turned up for 29 Tests, 14 T20Is and 120 ODIs for the Indian team, picking up close to 300 international wickets. He managed 100 Test scalps, 173 ODI wickets with the help of two 5-wicket hauls and 28 wickets in the T20Is that he played.
Speaking about his best memory against the Australians in his playing career, Pathan reminisced, “It all started in Australia for me. The most memorable moment was getting my first wicket and helping India win a Test match in Australia after 21 years. Winning the Test in Perth and being named the Man of the Match is also a favorite memory for me.”
In that particular game, the Indians, already down in the series, displayed great grit and determination to script a turnaround. The series had taken a controversial turn in 2008 after the umpires gave as many as eight decisions against the Indians in the Sydney game, the same match where Harbhajan Singh was accused of calling Andrew Symonds a “monkey”. The Indians had threatened to pull out of the tour following the controversies but were reassured by the ICC to carry on.
The unlikely win at Perth, then, goes down as one of the most memorable games played by the Indians.
