Irfan Pathan stated in an old interview with SportsTak that he was sacked from the Indian team after refusing to put up a hookah for an unnamed cricketer. While the former all-rounder did not identify anyone, fans read between the lines and believed that he was referring to former India captain MS Dhoni.
The video quickly went viral, sparking the resurfacing of old images, films, and interviews linking Dhoni to his hookah habit.
However, Irfan Pathan broke his quiet and addressed the issue on social media.
He accused some of the supporters for misinterpreting 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.
Half decade old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the Statement. Fan war? PR lobby?
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) September 3, 2025
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.
Watch the video here:
Ms dhoni used to select those players who set hukka for him, i denied and i got dropped – Irfan Pathan pic.twitter.com/tlbFPvYZNU
— Popa 🇮🇳 (@rafalekohli) September 1, 2025
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.
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