A five-year-old interview video clip of former India pacer Irfan Pathan opening up about the reasons for being dropped from the ODI team led by MS Dhoni in 2008 has resurfaced on social media, court fresh controversy. While Dhoni and Pathan haven’t seemingly shared public camaraderie since the latter retired from professional cricket, a social media user who has claimed to be a former player manager has revealed interesting details of their friendship during their playing days for the national side.
Yuddhajit Dutta, an ex-player manager and businessman who claimed to have represented Dhoni and several other Indian cricketers, shared his personal experience of the strong bond Dhoni shared with Pathan. Pathan was instrumental to India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign under Dhoni in 2007 before slowly tapering away from the national scene later on.
A witness to their bond
“Irfan Pathan and MS Dhoni’s friendship is something I’ve had the privilege of witnessing firsthand. I was managing Dhoni and a few other cricketers years ago, and during a Pepsi shoot, Irfan, Mahi, and I were hanging out in a van.”
Irfan Pathan and MS Dhoni’s friendship is something I’ve had the privilege of witnessing firsthand. I was managing Dhoni and a few other cricketers years ago, and during a Pepsi shoot, Irfan, Mahi, and I were hanging out in a van. @IrfanPathan @msdhoni pic.twitter.com/A67eweoiBj
— Yudhajit Dutta (@YudhajitDutta) September 6, 2025
“They were given miniature bats to sign, and what they did next was a testament to their incredible bond. On one side of a bat, they autographed each other’s names, with a cheesy line about their friendship. They told me to keep it as a witness to their bond, and I still have it,” Dutta wrote on X while clipping two images of the bats signed by Dhoni and Pathan.
He also reacted to the controversy surrounding the half-a-decade-old clip. “The recent news circulating about them brought back memories of those days and many other stories of their friendship. Based on what I’ve seen, I believe the stories are more sensationalism than truth.
What is the Dhoni-Pathan ‘hookah controversy’?
During a 2020 interview, cricketer Irfan Pathan used a Hindi phrase to explain being dropped from the team in 2008 under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. He said he wasn’t in the habit of going to someone’s room and “setting up their hookah,” a comment that was recently taken literally and went viral on social media.
“Half decade old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the Statement. Fan war? PR lobby?” wrote Pathan in response to the viral clip earlier this week.
