When Irfan Pathan rocked Pakistan with a rare first-over hat-trick in Test cricket

Irfan Pathan celebrating a Pakistan wicket [Source: @Arnavv43/x]

Irfan Pathan built his reputation as a formidable all-rounder who thrived on pace and movement with the ball and his hard-hitting abilities with the bat. With the new ball in hand, in particular, the former cricketer routinely posed questions to even the best of batters through his late swing, especially on sporting surfaces.

On this day exactly 20 years ago, Irfan Pathan demonstrated that very skill at its peak as the then 21-year-old jolted Pakistan in the very first-over of a Test match at the National Stadium in Karachi.

OTD: Irfan Pathan blew away Pakistan’s top-order in the first over

On a trail of two high-scoring draws in Lahore and Faisalabad, Team India and hosts Pakistan squared off in the series-deciding third Test at the National Stadium in Karachi from January 29 onwards back in 2006.

With India winning the toss and opting to field first, then captain Rahul Dravid unleashed his lethal paceman Irfan Pathan in the opening over of the match. Pathan responded to his captain’s call with a couple of swinging deliveries against Pakistan opener Salman Butt.

Pathan eventually toppled Butt by inducing a sharp nick towards India’s slip fielder Rahul Dravid. Off the very next delivery, the Indian fast bowler trapped then Pakistan skipper and prolific run maker Younis Khan plumb in front of stumps.

In the final ball of the over, Irfan Pathan knocked over run machine Mohammad Yousuf with another ripper of a delivery as Pakistan’s top-order got blown away for 0-3 in just the opening six deliveries of the match.

And just like that, Irfan Pathan became the first Indian fast bowler, and only the second Team India bowler overall after legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh to pick up a hat-trick in Test cricket.

2012 Yugantham

@2012Yugantham

Irfan Pathan hatrick against Pakistan in first OVER.

May 14, 2025, 11:13 AM

The former all-rounder also became the first and only cricketer in Test history so far to collect a hat-trick in the first over of a match, doing so against a formidable Pakistani batting line-up no less.

A hat-trick to remember, a match to forget

While Irfan Pathan’s hat-trick floored Pakistan at 0-3 in the first over, the hosts went on to notch up a 341-run win in Karachi to pocket the three-match Test series 0-1. The outcome also marked one of India’s biggest margin of defeats to date as the visitors squandered away their early advantage.

Nonetheless, the triple-wicket opening burst from Irfan Pathan continues to occupy a special place in India’s cricketing folklore, standing tall despite the eventual result.

Irfan Pathan: A World Cup-winner yet a perennial under-achiever

Irfan Pathan was destined for greatness, as many predicted at the start of his career when he troubled a mighty Australian batting line-up on his maiden tour of international cricket back in 2003-04. While Irfan has a T20 World Cup to boast for in his decorated profile, the cricketer silently announced his retirement after years of neglect.

He played 29 Tests for Team India between the years 2003 and 2008, picked up 100 wickets at an average of 32.36 and has a century to his name. Irfan Pathan also bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ award in India’s historic Test win at Perth in 2008.

In ODIs, the all-rounder aggregated over 1,500 runs at an average of nearly 24, and picked up 173 wickets. In T20Is, he snared 28 of them, including three in India’s victorious final at the 2007 T20 World Cup against Pakistan.

And yet, Irfan Pathan played the final match of his international before turning 28, a reality that underlined the unfulfilled promise of a player once tipped for enduring greatness.