You taught me how to be strong without saying a word: Irfan Pathan thanks brother Yusuf

After announcing retirement from all forms of cricket, all-rounder Irfan Pathan on Sunday thanked his brother Yusuf for always being there for him and for teaching him how to be strong without saying a single word.

"My brother and my friend without you nothing is possible. Not only cricket. You taught me how to be strong without saying a word. You were always there for me and always be. Lots of love my brother," Irfan tweeted.

Thirty-five-year-old Irfan replied to a post by Yusuf, in which he had congratulated the left-arm pacer on a wonderful career.

"Many many congratulations to Irfan for his successful and illustrious career. I know your fans love you a lot and I hope you continue to rule their hearts. The memorable moment playing with Irfan was to win the T20 World Cup in South Africa," Yusuf had tweeted on Saturday.

Irfan had played a clinical role in the final of the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup against Pakistan in 2007.

He picked up three wickets and returned with the figures of 3-16 in his four overs and was named as the Player of the Match.

Pathan is one of the three bowlers to have claimed a Test hat-trick for India and the first in the world to claim it in the first over of the match.

The swanky left-arm pacer featured in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is for India, bagging 301 wickets across all formats. He also managed to score 2,821 runs studded with a single hundred and 11 half-centuries.

He last played a match for India in 2012 against Sri Lanka. Pathan is currently performing the role of mentor-cum-coach for the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team.