Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan’s old statement about MS Dhoni smoking hookah has gone viral once again. Pathan had jokingly mentioned Dhoni’s hookah habit in an interview, but five years later, his comments have resurfaced on social media and sparked fresh controversy. After facing heavy criticism online, Irfan Pathan has finally broken his silence and clarified his stance.
Irfan Pathan was part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team in 2007, where he was named Player of the Match in the final. He announced his retirement from international cricket in 2020.
An old video of Irfan Pathan is currently trending, in which he said during an interview with Sports Tak that MS Dhoni used to smoke hookah and gave more importance to people who joined him. This statement has triggered mixed reactions on social media. Some users accused Dhoni of favoritism in team selection, while others criticised Pathan for allegedly tarnishing the former captain’s image.
On Mohammed Shami’s birthday post, a fan commented, “Pathan bhai, what about the hookah thing?” To this, Irfan responded jokingly, “I’ll sit with Dhoni and smoke together.”
Reacting to the viral clip, Pathan questioned whether this was a fan war or a PR agenda. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Why is a five-year-old video being circulated now, and that too with my statements twisted? Fan war? PR lobby?”
In the same interview, Irfan had clarified, “I don’t have the habit of going into someone’s room and preparing hookah or talking about it. Everyone knows this. Sometimes, it’s better not to discuss such things. A cricketer’s job is to perform well on the field, and that’s what I always focused on.”