- Irfan Pathan exposed a fabricated story involving Babar Azam.
- Pakistani media falsely claimed Babar refused Pathan interview.
- Pathan’s face was photoshopped onto another reporter’s picture.
- He generally avoids responding to such daily misinformation.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has revealed how a fabricated story involving Pakistan batter Babar Azam was allegedly used to defame him, with a doctored photograph helping the claim spread widely on social media. Pathan said Pakistani media had once published a false report claiming he had travelled to interview Babar, only for the Pakistani batter to allegedly refuse the interview because of Pathan’s criticism of Pakistan. According to Pathan, the entire story was fabricated, and his face had been digitally placed on another reporter’s photograph.
How Fake Babar Azam Story Spread
Speaking on JioHotstar’s Cheeky Singles programme, Pathan said misinformation and fake attribution had become a regular part of life for public figures. He explained that he has generally avoided responding to every claim made about him because doing so would leave little time to focus on his own life.
Pathan recalled an incident in which a report claimed he had gone to interview Babar Azam, who allegedly refused to speak to him because of his comments about Pakistan.
“The trolling and fake attribution happen every day. The media in our neighbouring country once ran a story claiming that I had gone to interview Babar Azam, and that he refused because, according to him, ‘He trolls our country, so I won’t give him an interview.’ It was a complete lie. Someone had photoshopped my face onto a picture,” Pathan said.
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According to Pathan, the original photograph featured a young Bangladeshi reporter who had travelled to the ground for the first time and was refused an interview. Pathan said his face was placed onto the reporter’s body before the image was circulated alongside the fabricated story.
He added that the claim received more than a million views and was subsequently believed by many people.
“The person in the original image was a young Bangladeshi reporter who had gone to the ground for the first time and was refused an interview. They literally put my face on his body and spread the story. It got over a million views, and people believed it was me,” Pathan added.
The former India cricketer said he has often been targeted by Pakistani fans on social media, particularly around matches between India and Pakistan. He was also previously involved in a war of words with former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi.
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Pathan maintained that responding to every false claim is not practical.
“This happens every day, but I don’t respond. Every day, some lie is told in our name or about some player. If you keep responding to everyone, you won’t be able to live your life,” he said.
Irfan Pathan’s International Career
Pathan enjoyed a decade-long international career between 2003 and 2012 and established himself as one of India’s leading pace-bowling all-rounders.
He scored 2,821 runs in 141 international innings at an average of 26.12, including one century and 11 half-centuries. His highest score was 102.
Pathan’s biggest contribution, however, came with the ball. He finished his international career with 301 wickets at an average of 29.85, including nine five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket match hauls.
He also played for several franchises during the early years of the Indian Premier League. Pathan represented Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions. He was also picked by Chennai Super Kings in 2015 but did not make an appearance for the franchise.
