Aakash Chopra commented about favoritism in squad selection after former all-rounder Irfan Pathan’s previous statement went viral. When it comes to selecting players, Chopra said a good captain would not be entirely swayed by these considerations.
Irfan Pathan made a subtle jab at MS Dhoni in a 2020 interview when discussing his abrupt departure from the national squad. According to media reports, Dhoni was not pleased with Irfan’s bowling during the 2008 Australia series.
“Yes, I asked him. During the 2008 Australia series, Mahi’s statement came out in the media that Irfan wasn’t bowling well. So I thought I had bowled well throughout the series, so I went and asked Mahi about this. Sometimes, the statements are twisted in the media, so I also wanted to clarify. Mahi said, ‘no Irfan, there is nothing like this, everything’s going as per plans.’ When you get a reply like this, then you believe that okay, you do what you can. Also if you keep asking for explanations again and again after that, you hurt your self-respect,” he had said. (via OneCricket).
Aakash Chopra made the following observation in response: “A captain’s job is to build a team that can win him the game.” “Results are what determine success and captaincy itself,” he said. According to Chopra, having certain tastes does not imply bias or favoritism.
“You want to pick your best team. But if you have seen someone more in front of you and playing under pressure, you move towards them, and that is normal. You will see that players from where the coach or captain are would be preferred more. That is not bias, not favoritism. It is just the fact that they have spent more time with them.”
Aakash Chopra
“Beyond that, what happens in one room, how many people sit, how many don’t, I don’t think a successful captain worth his salt is going to get influenced by that factor. At the end he has to pick a team that can win and players who can take him to that destination. So there is a lot riding on the captain’s shoulders and the stakes are high. I don’t think that if someone does not spend more time with the captain, they would be adversely treated or dropped.”
Aakash Chopra
Notably, Irfan Pathan played his last international match under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. He had also picked up five wickets in what turned out to be his last ODI.
Irfan Pathan’s international career
Irfan Pathan got his debut in 2003. A Test match with Australia was held in Adelaide. In 2004, he had the same opponent in his debut ODI. His T20I debut was in 2006 with South Africa.
Irfan provided India with several excellent performances in terms of his huge talent and potential. He has accomplished a hat-trick in Test cricket. The left-arm pacer was also part of the winning side that played the T20 World Cup of 2007.
However, he played 24 T20s, 120 ODs, and 29 Tests. He did not play as many international games as he had wanted. His last game with India was at the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2012. His final One-Day International against Sri Lanka that year had a record of 5/61 off 10 overs.
Irfan Pathan finished with 100 Test, 173 ODI, and 28 T20I wickets.
