Irfan Pathan addresses viral Hookah controversy, jokes 'mein or MS Dhoni sath beth kar pienge'

File photo of Irfan Pathan and MS Dhoni

A day after an old interview of Irfan Pathan triggered "Hookah" controversy involving MS Dhoni, the former India all-rounder addressed the matter on Wednesday. Pathan sent birthday greetings to Mohammed Shami on social media, sharing a photo of the two. "Wishing the seam king @MdShami11 a very happy birthday. Looking forward to see your bowling for India again soon. Have a great one," he wrote.

Wishing the seam king @MdShami11 a very happy birthday. Looking forward to see your bowling for India again soon. Have a great one. pic.twitter.com/1fUCtUN7Ki

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) September 3, 2025

A fan reacted on the post and teased Pathan about the Hookah controversy, which has taken the internet by storm. "Pathan bhai woh hookey ka kya hua???" - the user commented on the post, which drew a reaction from the ex-cricketer himself.

"Mein or @msdhoni sath Beth kar pienge;)" - joked Pathan.

Mein or @msdhoni sath Beth kar pienge;)

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— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) September 3, 2025

Screenshot of the exchange between Irfan Pathan and a user on X

Moments later, Pathan accused fans of "twisting" his statement. "Half decade old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the Statement. Fan war? PR lobby?," wrote Pathan 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

The entire Hookah episode began with a viral clip where Pathan was discussing his sudden exit from the national setup.

"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 can be heard saying in the clip.

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

Internet was quick to connect the dots as many expressed the comments were targeted at Dhoni although no names were mentioned. The viral clip created such a buzz that old photo, video, and past interview linking Dhoni and his fondness for Hookah resurfaced online.

In the first part of the viral clip, which was from an interview to SportsTak, the former all-rounder did open up about his conversation with then skipper MS Dhoni. Pathan revealed he spoke with Dhoni when news came to him that the captain was not happy with his bowling, however, the latter quashed any such notion.

"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.