Irfan Pathan Smells Huge Conspiracy In 'MS Dhoni Hookah' Revelation Row: "Lobby..."
Irfan Pathan has broken his silence on an old video that has gone viral on social media, in which he can be seen talking about the circumstances behind his exclusion from the Indian cricket team
- Irfan Pathan addressed a viral old video about his exclusion from the Indian team where he mentioned MS Dhoni
- Pathan last played international cricket in 2012 after a five-wicket haul in his final ODI
- "Half-decade-old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the statement. PR lobby?" Pathan wrote on X
Irfan Pathan has broken his silence on an old video that has gone viral on social media, in which he can be seen talking about the circumstances behind his exclusion from the Indian cricket team. Pathan last played international cricket in 2012, despite picking up a five-wicket haul in what turned out to be his final ODI. While the exact reasons behind Irfan's exile from the Indian team are only known to the selectors and team management, then-skipper MS Dhoni has also been blamed for the poor handling of the all-rounder's situation.
Recently, a clip from an old interview—recorded five years ago—went viral on social media, with many users linking it to MS Dhoni.
Irfan Pathan has now hinted at controversy surrounding the timing and interpretation of the video.
"Half-decade-old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the statement. Fan war? PR lobby?" he wrote on X.
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 video, Irfan revealed that he had spoken with Dhoni about his performances after hearing in the media that the skipper wasn't impressed with his bowling.
"Yes, I asked him. During the 2008 Australia series, Mahi bhai's statement came out in the media that Irfan wasn't bowling well. I thought I had bowled well throughout the series, so I went and asked Mahi bhai about it. Sometimes, statements get twisted in the media, so I wanted to clarify. Mahi bhai said, 'No Irfan, there is nothing like that. Everything's going as per plan.' When you get a reply like that, you believe it and do what you can. If you keep asking for explanations again and again after that, you hurt your self-respect."
He further added: "I don't have a habit of setting up hookah in someone's room or talking unnecessarily. Everyone knows. Sometimes, it's better not to speak. A cricketer's job is to perform on the field, and that's what I focused on."
Irfan Pathan
MS Dhoni
India Cricket Team