Stranger sent gifts to Irfan Pathan during 2006 Pak tour: Ex-manager

It was in 2006 during a series in Pakistan when pace bowler Irfan Pathan was sent "expensive" gifts by a stranger, suspected to be a bookie, former team India manager M Baladitya claimed today.

"The incident had taken place in a hotel in Karachi during India's tour to Pakistan in 2006," Baladitya, who was the Manager of the Indian team, told PTI over the phone from Hyderabad.

"Irfan had told me that somebody came to his room and left some expensive gifts for him. I told him to return them immediately. However, he said he did not know who had left the gifts in his room," he said.

"During the entire tour, I kept on telling the players not to accept any gifts or contact anybody. After returning to India, I mentioned about this incident in my report submitted to the BCCI," he added.

Asked whether he had reported the incident to ICC, Baladitya said, "I was not dealing with the ICC but the BCCI. So I thought it was appropriate to bring the incident to their notice."

Earlier today Pathan claimed that he was sent expensive gifts by a stranger during a series, but did not disclose when exactly the incident took place and which team he was playing against at that time.

Pathan said expensive gifts were sent to his hotel room during the series and he reported the matter to the team manager.

"I was in a team hotel when a stranger approached me. He sent three expensive gifts to my room. He later sent me two more expensive gifts, things I couldn't afford," the 25-year-old, whose last Test appearance for India was in April 2008 against South Africa, had said.

His disclosure came amid the raging spot-fixing controversy which has led to the suspension of the Pakistani trio of Test skipper Salman Butt and pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir.

The three players were provisionally suspended by the ICC for allegedly conspiring to bowl no balls to order during the Lord's Test against England last month.