'Thank you for being in my life' - Irfan Pathan responds to his wife's heartfelt message on Instagram

Irfan Pathan, one of the cult heroes of Indian cricket of the 21st century, walked into the sunset on Saturday when he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Irfan last played for India back in 2012 and even though most of the fans had consigned to the reality that they will no longer see the enigmatic southpaw in India colors, the final confirmation still left a plethora of some of them heartbroken.

Irfan Pathan turned out, in many ways, an unfulfilled dream on Indian cricket. After having bamboozled batting units with the wicked seam and swing for the first two-three years of his international career, the left-arm fast bowler proceeded to become the spearhead of the bowling unit, until the team-management decided to make an all-rounder out of the southpaw. That said, Irfan was still one of the spearheads in a plethora of Indian cricket triumphs in the first decade of the 21st century.

Following his retirement, fans, media, former and current cricketers took to social media to post their heartfelt wishes for the former cricketer. Apart from this, there was another special person who wished Irfan on his decision. Yep! His cute little son- Imran. Irfan’s wife, who manages the Instagram account of their son, posted photos of the father and son duo and added a heartfelt caption for it.

“You are a STAR! You’ve been a source of inspiration to millions and continue to spread your ray of sunshine everywhere you go! Your triumph is etched in our hearts! 🇮🇳To new beginnings, many more chapters & feathers to add in your cap! Thank You daddy, for being YOU #2020 #irfanpathan

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You are a STAR ⭐️! You’ve been a source of inspiration to millions and continue to spread your ray of sunshine everywhere you go! Your triumph is etched in our hearts! 🇮🇳To new beginnings, many more chapters & feathers to add in your cap! ☺️ Thank You daddy, for being YOU 💕 #2020 #irfanpathan

A post shared by Imran Pathan (@imrankpathan_official) on Jan 4, 2020 at 9:41pm PST

Things didn’t end here! The southpaw instantly replied to the social media post where he said, “Thank you for being in my life.”

Speaking of Pathan’s achievements on a cricket field, the all-rounder was one of the few cricketers to open an innings for India with both bat and ball. He was one of the prime reasons in India winning the 2007 T20 World Cup final [3/16] and the historic Test match at the WACA in Perth.

He was the first Indian seamer to claim a Test match hat-trick, that too in the first over the game, and is one of the rare cricketers who got a five-wicket haul in his last ODI before he was forced into wilderness.