"Aisa laga hum mar gaye" - Former all-rounder recalls India's heartbreaking exit from 2007 ODI World Cup

Recalling Team India's shock early exit from the 2007 ODI World Cup in West Indies, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan stated that they felt as if they had died. He admitted that everyone in the team was shell-shocked.

Having finished runners-up in 2003, the Men in Blue were ousted in the first round of the 2007 ODI World Cup edition held in the Caribbean. Placed in Group B, India suffered shock defeats against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to be knocked out in the first round of the tournament. There was a massive backlash in India following the Rahul Dravid-led team's underwhelming performance.

During an interview with 'The Lallantop', Irfan revisited India's early exit from the 2007 ODI World Cup. Speaking about the players' reaction, he said:

"We were in the hotel for two days. Aisa laga ke hum mar gaye [It seems as if we had died]. Everybody had that feeling, and we were all very sad. Everyone was in shock."

India, however, recovered from the dreadful result to win the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa. Led by a young MS Dhoni, the Men in Blue beat Pakistan in a thrilling final in Johannesburg to be crowned inaugural T20 world champions.

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"He wrongly gave Sachin Tendulkar out many times" - Former India all-rounder on Steve Bucknor

During the interview, Irfan also shared his thoughts on former international umpire Steve Bucknor, terming the Jamaican as a very bad umpire. He also recalled a number of instances when Bucknor gave debatable decisions against batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. He opined:

"Bada kharab umpire the [He was a very bad umpire. He wrongly gave Sachin Tendulkar out many times. However, even after such a decision in Brisbane, Sachin paaji just expressed shock for a brief moment and walked.

"Similarly, at Eden Gardens, I was sitting in the dressing room behind the wickets. Abdul Razzaq was bowling, and Sachin paaji attempted a back foot shot. The ball pitched and moved away, and there was a big gap between bat and bowl. Steve Bucknor gave it out, and Sachin paaji just smiled and walked. Even from the dressing room I could see that it was clearly not out," the 40-year-old added.

Bucknor umpired in 128 Tests and 182 ODIs, which included many high-profile events, including World Cups. However, his reputation took a severe beating after he made several contentious decisions during the controversial 2008 Sydney Test between India and Australia.