Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has responded with a single word and emoji to a social media row involving ex-Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf. The exchange began after a Pakistani fan accused Yousuf of disrespecting India captain Suryakumar Yadav by using a slur. A user on X, who goes by the name Slogger, wrote that former Pakistan cricketers and journalists were “obsessed” with Pathan and often used his name to justify their actions. Pathan reacted by replying, “This,” with a pointing-up emoji, showing agreement with the fan’s statement.
Yousuf later defended himself, saying his remarks were a response to Pathan once calling former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi a dog. “I didn’t mean any disrespect to any sportsman who plays for his country with passion and grace,” Yousuf posted. He added that Pathan’s earlier comments about Afridi should also have been condemned.
In a recent interview with Lallantop, Pathan spoke in detail about his clashes with Afridi. He recalled an incident during India’s 2006 tour of Pakistan when Afridi playfully messed up his hair on a flight from Karachi to Lahore. Pathan said Afridi often looked for trouble and behaved in a way he found disrespectful.
Pathan explained that during one heated moment, he joked to teammate Abdul Razzaq about dog meat being available in Pakistan and pointed at Afridi, saying it must be the reason he was “barking.” According to Pathan, Afridi was enraged but chose not to respond.
