Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad had once commented:
Irfan jaise bowlers hamaari gali gali mein paae jaate hain.
Which translates to: Bowlers like Irfan can be found in every nook and corner of Pakistan.
He should have thought it through, because Irfan didn’t just give his best performances against his side, but also became the only player to claim a hattrick in the first over a Test match.
Ah, that hattrick.
The year was 2006 and India was playing Pakistan in their backyard. The first two Tests of the series had ended in a draw and the decider was being played in Karachi.
The decider, in which the boy from Baroda shone so bright, that it still overshadows the pain of us losing the clash eventually.
But let’s start from the beginning.
India had won the toss and decided to field first. And the responsibility of starting, was given to Irfan Pathan.
The tension was in the air, as you’d expect in an India-Pakistan clash, and Irfan restrained the opponents nicely in first 3 deliveries by not conceding a single run.
The real magic remained to be seen, though.
On the fourth delivery of the over, Irfan bowled a beauty to Salman Butt that went straight into relaible hands of Rahul Dravid. Out. Pakistan 0-1.
Okay, that’s great. Can he take one more wicket?
Irfan came and did just that. It took 2 seconds for the umpire to declare Younis Khan out, leg before wicket. It was clear, there were no doubts.
Hattrick, now? Damn! He can do it. It has never been done before, but he can do it.
Keeping variety in mind, Irfan bowled an oddly satisfying delivery to send the bails flying in the air. And just like that, Mohammad Yousuf was also back to the pavillion.
It’s been almost 15 years but a great number of Indians remember that over like it happened yesterday. It is just one of those things. Things our ‘gully boys’ do.
You can relive that over with this video here.