Fun with brother in company: Colombo, 2009

The solitary T20 of the tour went down to the wire after batting first, the hosts were off to a flyer, the middle-order could not capitalize on the start, and Sri Lanka was restricted to 171 for 4. In reply, India themselves wobbled from 81 for 2 after eight overs, as their own middle-order collapsed. A well-set Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were sent back in successive overs, while MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and debutant Ravindra Jadeja were all dismissed cheaply.

That was when both the Pathan brothers got together and batted with freedom. With 60 required off 27, it was elder brother Yusuf who started the carnage with two sixes and a four off leg-spinner Malinga Bandara. But when it was down to 24 of 14, Irfan decided to take it upon himself – two exquisitely timed lofted cover drives for four were separated by a powerful six over mid-wicket. As if that was not enough, Irfan smashed the winning runs by whacking Lasith Malinga for the maximum over mid-wicket again. India won without losing any further wickets and with four balls to spare.

Perfect Test match: Perth, 2008

He missed out on the first two Tests in Australia in 2007-08, but when Pathan was drafted in for the third, he led the way with both bat and ball. On a Perth pitch renowned for deadly pace and bounce, Australia, in search of a seventeenth consecutive Test win, played four pace bowlers, with three of them able to bowl at searing pace. But it was Pathan who proved to be the deciding factor across all four innings. His contribution of 28 was backed up by removing both openers cheaply, victims of impressive swing bowling.

However, India needed more from Pathan, sending him as a night watchman at number three. The visitors were reduced to 125 for 5 and Pathan was the next man out but not before playing a crucial knock of 46. With his runs helping India set Australia 413, Pathan's swing then accounted for two early wickets against the openers. He returned to account for a menacing Stuart Clark the next day, ending a stand of 73 for the ninth wicket. India won the game by 72 runs in a memorable win - especially after the controversy-ridden Sydney Test - and Pathan earned the Man of the Match award.

Man of the Match in the final: Johannesburg, 2007

India and Pakistan played out yet another thriller in the same tournament after their group game was decided via a bowlout. Clashing this time in the final, India set Pakistan 158 to win at the Wanderers. Pathan came to bowl the twelfth over, with 93 needed from 66 deliveries and the experienced Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq at the crease. He started well with just five runs in his first over and two dots to begin his next. Perhaps that, along with a rising required rate, is what frustrated Malik as he went for a short-arm pull only to find the mid-wicket fielder.

Though the next ball was wide, the big fish Shahid Afridi was foxed by a slower ball which he skied to mid-off. By the time of his final over – he bowled all four in a single spell-it was evident that Pakistan could only survive by going for regular boundaries. While Yasir Arafat did send one over the bowler's head for four, Pathan had the last laugh in dislodging his stumps. He finished with a Man of the Match performance of 3 for 16 in a match India would go on to win by 5 runs.

Rocking with new ball: Karachi, 2006

In a Test series featuring dull draws, the decider at Karachi promised thrill and anticipation. Pathan brought just that in the opening over of the Test after Rahul Dravid decided to bowl. On a green track, Pathan was given the new ball after suffering from a horrendous tour thus far; but he was to explode into his old self in the second half of the over.

Bowling from over the wicket, Salman Butt was forced into poking at one just outside off, thus giving Dravid a simple catch at slip. The next man in was Younis Khan, whose first ball was bowled full on off-stump, but swung back in sharply to hit him plumb in front. It wasn't long until the umpire's finger was raised and Pathan was on a hat-trick on the arch-rival's soil. Mohammad Yousuf arrived next with the pressure of avoiding a hat-trick, but who knew what was coming? Pathan bowled a magical left-armer's delivery from over-the-wicket: he pitched it slightly shorter and the ball darted back in between bat and pad to crash the stumps behind. Pakistan was 0 for 3, and Pathan became only the second Indian to take a Test hat-trick.

Dashing all-round display: Delhi, 2005

India had obtained a 60-run lead for the second Test of the series against Sri Lanka courtesy of six wickets from Anil Kumble and figures of 3 for 34 from Pathan, who sent down 22 overs at under two runs an over and dismissed the dangerous Kumar Sangakkara for 3. But the defining moment of the match came when Pathan attacked with the bat in the second innings. India had lost regular opener Virender Sehwag to illness, and while captain Rahul Dravid replaced him at the top in the first innings, India surprised in fact, shocked the visitors by replacing him with Pathan in the second.

He observed India lose three wickets cheaply from one end but did not hesitate in going after Muttiah Muralitharan of all people. Muralithara's first over saw Pathan dancing down and clobbering him for six, with the second one coming later over long-on. He equally enjoyed pace on the ball, hitting Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando for boundaries when they missed their lengths. An innings of 93 would convince India to send him in the top order often regularly in the years to come, having inspired his side to a 188-run win.