“Don’t Have Habit Of Setting Up Hookah”: Irfan Pathan’s Comment On MS Dhoni Goes Viral Again After 2008

Irfan Pathan-MS Dhoni’s Clip

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan’s 2008 incident where he questioned MS Dhoni over media reports goes viral.

An old video of former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has resurfaced, bringing back memories of his sudden exit from the national team and a personal conversation with then-captain MS Dhoni.

In the clip, Pathan shared how he approached Dhoni during the 2008 Australia series after reports in the media suggested that his bowling was not up to the mark. “Yes, I asked him. During the 2008 Australia series, Mahi bhai’s statement came out in the media that Irfan wasn’t bowling well. So I thought I had bowled well throughout the series, so I went and asked Mahi bhai about this. Sometimes, the statements are twisted in the media, so I also wanted to clarify. So Mahi bhai said, ‘no Irfan, there is nothing like this, everything’s going as per plans.’ When you get a reply like this, then you believe that okay, you do what you can. Also if you keep asking for explanations again and again after that, you hurt your self-respect,” Pathan said in an interview with SportsTak in 2020.

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Pathan, who represented India in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is, scored 2,821 runs and picked up 301 wickets across formats. He is still remembered for his Test hat-trick against Pakistan. Despite taking a five-wicket haul in his last ODI, he was sidelined from the squad, with the reasons known only to the selectors and management.

Adding further, Pathan hinted at the dressing-room culture during his time, saying he never believed in gestures to please others. “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 added.