'Fan war? PR lobby?' - Irfan Pathan breaks silence on viral hookah controversy involving MS Dhoni

Published - 03 Sept 2025, 18:32 IST | Updated - 03 Sept 2025, 19:29 IST

Irfan Pathan had mentioned during an old interview with SportsTak that he was dropped from the Indian side after refusing to set up a hookah for an unnamed cricketer. While the former all-rounder didn't name anyone, fans read between the lines and concluded that ex-India captain MS Dhoni was the one he was speaking about.

The video went viral in no time and created such a buzz that old photos, videos, and past interviews linking Dhoni and his fondness for hookah resurfaced online. However, Pathan broke silence and addressed the matter through a social media post. He blamed a section of the fans for twisting the context of his statement.

"Half decade old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the Statement. Fan war? PR lobby?" Pathan wrote in his official 'X' (previously Twitter) handle on Wednesday, September 3.

In the first part of the SportsTak clip, the former all-rounder did open up about his conversation with then skipper Dhoni in 2008. Pathan revealed that he got to know from the news that the wicketkeeper-batter wasn't happy with his bowling. However, when he inquired about the same to Dhoni, he brushed aside any such notion.

Pathan has been having an eventful commentary career after retiring from international cricket in January 2020. The former Baroda cricketer was excluded from the commentary panel for the IPL 2025. This was after the growing dissatisfaction amongst broadcasters over bringing personal grudges into his commentary. However, he made a comeback to Sony Sports Network's Hindi coverage during the India versus England five-match Test series.

World Cup winner backs India to triumph in Asia Cup

Pathan's next commentary assignment is the 2025 Asia Cup, which runs from September 9 to September 28 in the United Arab Emirates. He will be a part of history as he will be on the same commentary team as Ahmad Farhad, who will become the first Afghan to commentate in a major multi-nation tournament. Both of them are part of Sony's broadcast of the eight-nation event.