MS Dhoni Hookah Controversy Resurfaces As Irfan Pathan Hints At Favouritism Behind India Exit

Irfan Pathan has created fresh controversy in Indian cricket after an old remark he made about MS Dhoni and the teams culture resurfaced online. In an interview with Vikrant Gupta, the former all-rounder provided a rather peculiar hint that his exit from Team India may not have been very performance-centric, and more about being favored and the dressing room dynamics while Dhoni served as captain.

Pathan spoke of a moment from the 2008 Australia tour, that still remains fresh in his mind. At that time, news print had Dhoni upset with Pathan's bowling, so Irfan went directly to the captain to see whether there was a problem. Dhoni, in Pathan's words, suggested there was no issue. However, it was the snippet that followed which really stuck. With a smile, Irfan stated that he was not the "guy who was going to set up a hookah in someone else's room," a cheeky and pointed comment that fans now see as a dig on the culture of favortism which may have cost him his spot.

MS Dhoni Hookah Controversy Resurfaces

It’s less about the joke and more about what Pathan implied—that his place in the team depended on more than just cricket under Dhoni. His remark, “I don't have a habit of setting up a hookah in someone's room or talking about this,” was seen as a stinging implication that players who stayed in Dhoni’s inner circle were treated differently. This subtle accusation has reignited rumors that personal affiliations may have influenced selection choices, drawing widespread attention across social media and cricketing forums.

While the implication is clear, Pathan doesn’t outright accuse Dhoni of bias. Instead, he leaves listeners with something more provocative, an open-ended suggestion that being excluded from off-field rapport may have impacted his professional fate. And there have also been few videos in the past showing Dhoni smoking hookah.

Irfan Pathan's International Career

Irfan Pathan wasn’t just another teenager breaking into the Indian side, he was a sensation. At the age of 19, with that smooth left-arm action and the rare gift of swinging the ball both ways, he looked destined to carry forward India’s fast-bowling hopes. And he wasn’t just about the ball, Pathan could bat too.

He featured in 29 Tests, scoring over 1,300 runs and picking up 100 wickets which also includes a seven five-wicket hauls. In ODIs, his record was just as valuable. 120 matches, 1,544 runs, and 173 wickets. Those numbers are enought to tell how great he was during his playing days.

However, by 2012, Irfan’s international career had all but ended. Six years after his debut, the boy who once carried the hopes of a nation was suddenly out of the picture. The reasons were never clearly explained, injuries, form, and, as some now argue, politics, all played their part. And now with this new 'Hookah controversy', the conversation around his premature exit is alive once more.