5 Times when India cricketers were racially abused

4. Irfan Pathan’s experience during U16 days

If we note down a list comprising of the finest all-rounders produced by India, then Irfan Pathan will make it to the top 5. His ability to swing the bowl both ways helped him to deceive the batsmen and his power-hitting abilities enabled him to punch some lusty blows down the order. However, things were never smooth for Irfan as he had to face racial discrimination during his U16 days.

The city of Baroda has given the Indian national cricket team amazing cricketers and Irfan Pathan is one of them. After retiring from the game, he opened up on the racism that is still prevalent in Indian society. He stated that the sportspersons in India refuse to speak their mind on social issues due to their job insecurity. This opens up a big question mark on the lower levels of domestic cricket.

During his initial days, Irfan’s teammates used to call him with a particular slang. However, after he asked them to stop, they respected his request. But, a matter of racial abuse is not healthy for a country where cricket is considered a religion. A social evil like racial discrimination should be avoided by the players and the governing body should have a look at it. Irfan Pathan’s story about racial discrimination should be enough to put up an alarm for the players who look to undermine their teammates.