The recent Hookah saga featuring Irfan Pathan and MS Dhoni has been in the spotlight for some time. Fans pulled Irfan Pathan’s leg under his birthday post for Mohammed Shami, and Pathan took it sportingly with a cheeky reply.
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has been at the centre of attention after his old ‘Hookah’ remark about MS Dhoni went viral on the internet. The all-rounder addressed the issue, saying it’s an age-old joke; however, the joke suddenly sparked debate online, forcing Pathan to step in and clear the air.
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An old clip from Pathan’s interview with SportsTak resurfaced, where he claimed Dhoni used to smoke hookah and preferred players who joined him. The video quickly went viral, triggering fan wars and heated debates online. While some accused Dhoni of bias in team selections, others hit back at Pathan for trying to damage the former captain’s image.
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Pathan shared his thoughts on the PR agenda and fan wars caused by the video resurfacing online:
"Half-decade-old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the Statement. Fan war? PR lobby?" Pathan wrote on X.
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Pathan, who was dropped from the team after a poor outing in the CB Series in Australia back in 2008, had confronted Dhoni after media reports suggested the captain wasn’t happy with his bowling. Despite this being the main issue, Pathan’s hookah comment about Dhoni stole the headlines.
“I don't have a habit of setting up a 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.
The 2007 T20 World Cup winner, who played for India in 2012, hung up his boots in 2020 at the age of 35.
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