Days after the controversy surrounding his past ‘hookah’ remark on MS Dhoni, former Indian pacer and all-rounder Irfan Pathan opened up and hinted at possible PR agendas as the driving force behind its sudden reappearance online.
Taking to X, he wrote, “Half decade old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the Statement. Fan war? PR lobby?”
Earlier, a clip of Pathan’s interview with SportsTak resurfaced after years where he stirred controversy by alleging that Dhoni smoked hookah and favoured those who joined him in those sessions.
It went viral on social media and sparked fan wars and heated discussions online. Some accused Dhoni of bias in team selections, while others slammed Pathan for tarnishing the former captain’s image.
When a fan tried to pull his leg on a birthday post for Mohammed Shami, Pathan decided to take it sportingly.
A fan wrote, “Pathan bhai woh hookey ka kya hua???”
To which the former all-rounder replied, “Mein or @msdhoni sath Beth kar pienge;).”
Earlier in an old interaction, Pathan had recalled the 2008 CB series when he confronted Dhoni over media reports suggesting the captain wasn’t pleased with his bowling.
That clip grabbed headlines when Pathan hinted that Dhoni smoked hookah and showed a preference for players who joined him.
“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,” Pathan said.
Pathan on workload management:
Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan on Tuesday took a fresh jibe at Indian ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah related to workload management.
Citing the example of Cummins, while speaking in a discussion organised by Sony Sports Network, the official broadcasters of the 2025 Asia Cup, Pathan lauded the Australian skipper on choosing his assignments in order to stay fit and deliver during crucial series or tournaments.
“I just have one thing to say, you would have heard recently that Pat Cummins will skip many games to manage his workload for the Ashes. But will Cummins manage his workload during the Ashes? My question is that only. By all means, manage workload, yes. SENA countries are tough places to go and win. There your main bowlers must play as many games as they can. During the series, a top series, you will not get the result if you look to manage workload there,” he said.
“About the workload, there has been a lot of talk about it. I feel that there are some important players, Jasprit Bumrah or any other fast bowler, you manage everybody’s workload. You should as well and the set-up has been outstanding from BCCI and NCA. The workload is managed really well,” he added.
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