
Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan said a fabricated story claimed Pakistan batter Babar Azam had refused him an interview because Pathan criticised Pakistan. Speaking on JioHotstar’s Cheeky Singles, Pathan said the story…
Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan said a fabricated story claimed Pakistan batter Babar Azam had refused him an interview because Pathan criticised Pakistan. Speaking on JioHotstar’s Cheeky Singles, Pathan said the story was false and that he does not respond to every fabrication or trolling attempt.

Rediff reports that the image used in the story was doctored, with Pathan’s face placed on the body of a Bangladeshi reporter who had been refused an interview. Pathan said the post attracted more than a million views and many people believed it. He described fake attribution and trolling as routine, adding that constantly answering such claims would disrupt his life.
The lazy version of this story turns it into another India-Pakistan media war, while the opposite extreme treats every viral claim as harmless online noise. The verifiable point is narrower: Pathan described a doctored image, a false attribution and widespread reach, but the report does not independently establish which outlet first published it. Readers should ask for the original post, its publication trail and evidence of correction before accepting the next viral sports controversy.
Sources (3): sports.ndtv.com, sports.ndtv.com (2), rediff.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.