'Room me jaake Hookah...': Irfan Pathan's WILD dig at MS Dhoni breaks internet
Published - 02 Sep 2025, 05:08 PM
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Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan’s shocking statement on his then captain MS Dhoni has once again set social media ablaze amidst the talks of BCCI approaching the legendary wicketkeeper-batter for the mentorship of the national team.
Irfan Pathan had once said that he was not the kind of player who would try to win the captain’s favor by doing things like setting up a hookah in someone’s room. Pathan had openly accused MS Dhoni of favoritism and of preferring those players who danced on his fingers.
Irfan Pathan’s brutal take on MS Dhoni’s leadership style goes viral
The all-rounder stressed that his only focus was always on performing on the field, not pleasing Dhoni off-field. Actually, Pathan’s career took an unexpected turn after 2012 when he was sidelined from the Indian cricket team despite taking a five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka.
And that game turned out to be his last ODI for India. Many believe that Pathan’s career was not managed well by the selectors, and MS Dhoni’s handling of the former all-rounder has often been questioned. A video of Pathan’s interview has recently resurfaced, where he opened up about the chat he had with Dhoni after he was sidelined from the Indian team.
Irfan Pathan recalls past chat with MS Dhoni
In 2008, during the Australia series, reports came out in the media that Dhoni wasn’t happy with Pathan’s bowling. Since the former all-rounder felt he had bowled well, he went directly to Dhoni for clarity, and the former Indian skipper denied the claims, so he didn’t feel the need to keep asking for explanations because that would hurt his self-respect.
Irfan Pathan was quoted as saying by Sports Tak: “Yes, I asked him. During the 2008 Australia series, Mahi Bhai's statement came out in the media that Irfan wasn't bowling well. So, I thought I had bowled well throughout the series, so I went and asked Mahi Bhai about this. Sometimes, the statements are twisted in the media, so I also wanted to clarify.
So, Mahi Bhai said, 'No, Irfan, there is nothing like this; everything's going as per plan.' When you get a reply like this, then you believe that okay, you do what you can. Also, if you keep asking for explanations again and again after that, you hurt your self-respect.”
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When Irfan Pathan took a Hookah jibe at MS Dhoni
Later, Pathan took a brutal dig at Dhoni, making it clear that he was never the kind of player who would try to win favor by doing things like arranging a hookah in the captain’s room.
He further said, “I don't have a habit of setting up hookah in someone's room or talking about this. Everyone knows. Sometimes if you don't speak about it, it's better. A cricketer's job is to perform on the field, and that is what I used to focus on.”
Notably, Pathan represented India in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is, scoring 1105, 1544, and 172 runs, respectively. He also has 100 Test wickets, 173 ODI wickets, and 28 T20I wickets to his name.
According to Irfan Pathan If anyone set hookah for MS Dhoni then he will be in the team..pic.twitter.com/ofkHuClwec
— Ankur Kashyap (@ankurs000) September 2, 2025
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