Five years after retiring from professional cricket, Irfan Pathan has finally opened up about the decision that abruptly ended his ODI run in 2009 — and confirmed that then-India captain MS Dhoni played a key role in the call.

Pathan, who made his Test debut in Australia at just 19, was widely regarded as one of the most exciting all-rounders of his generation.

Known for his lethal swing bowling and handy lower-order batting, he became a regular across all formats and even featured in India’s first-ever T20 International in 2006.

By early 2009, however, his career took a sudden turn. Having already been dropped from the Test side the previous year, Pathan was axed from the ODI squad after a series against Sri Lanka — despite, as he points out, producing a stunning match-winning cameo alongside his elder brother, Yusuf Pathan.

“In that match against Sri Lanka, we needed around 60 from just 27–28 balls. Yusuf and I pulled it off. If it had been someone else in my place, they wouldn’t have been dropped for a year,” Pathan said in an interview with The Lallantop.

The situation worsened on the tour of New Zealand soon after. Pathan was left out of the playing XI for the first three ODIs, the fourth was abandoned due to rain, and he was overlooked again for the final match.

Determined to find out why, he approached then-head coach Gary Kirsten.

“Gary gave me two reasons,” Pathan revealed.

"First," he said, adding, ‘There are things not in my hands.’ I knew what he meant — the captain has the biggest say in the playing XI. Dhoni was captain then, and every skipper has the right to run the team the way he wants.”

The second reason was a shift in team strategy. The management was looking for a batting all-rounder at No. 7 — a role that went to Yusuf Pathan — rather than a bowling all-rounder like Irfan.

“We were different types of all-rounders, but there was only space for one. Nowadays, teams would happily take both,” he added.

Pathan’s recall in 2012 offered only a brief revival. With emerging talents like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma making their mark, competition for places was fierce.

Pathan played just 12 more ODIs before quietly slipping out of the national reckoning, eventually announcing his retirement in 2020.

Now, years later, his candid revelations offer a rare glimpse into how selection decisions and leadership preferences can shape — and sometimes cut short — a promising international career.

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