Greg Chappell Didn't Spoil my Career, Easier to Make Him a Punching Bag: Irfan Pathan

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has spilled the beans over who was behind his promotion to number three in the batting order. It is widely believed that Greg Chappell, with malicious intent of spoiling Pathan's career, promoted him in the batting order, but as it turns out, it was Sachin Tendulkar's decision to do so.

"I had said this after I had announced my retirement as well. Those who talk about Greg Chappell spoiling my career, by sending me as an all-rounder at No.3 and all these things… actually, it was Sachin paaji’s idea,” Pathan told Raunak Kapoor on his channel Beyond The Field.

“He advised Rahul Dravid to send me at No.3. He said ‘he (Irfan) has the power to hit sixes, can take on the new ball and can play the fast bowlers well too,” he stated.

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Pathan, in fact was pretty successful at that position and had scored 83 off 70 balls against Sri Lanka, the first time he batted at that position in 2005.

“It was tried for the first time in the series against Sri Lanka when Muralitharan was at his peak, and the idea was to attack him as well.

"It’s not true that Greg Chappell spoiled my career. Since he was not from India, it is easier to make him a punching bag,” Pathan added.

Earlier he had said, “In terms of achievement, there could have been a lot more. I really believe that in One-Day Internationals I could have been the best all-rounder that India ever produced, I could have been. That didn’t happen because I didn’t play as much cricket as I could have because my last game for India was at the age of 27,” Pathan told Rediff.com.