The low profile that MS Dhoni has maintained since the 2025 IPL season was concluded earlier this year has thrown him back into the limelight. A few days ago, a video of Irfan Pathan as a young boy surfaced on social media and swept the legendary wicketkeeper-batter into a tornado of controversy.
In that interview, the former India all-rounder showed the feeling of being sidelined way back in 2008. Pathan remembered that he was not part of the team during the Australia series, and at that time Dhoni, who was the captain, had said in the media what he thought about 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,” Pathan had said.
He also wrote that he never attempted to win favors through personal contacts. “I don’t have a habit of setting up a 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.”
In the commotion, Yograj Singh, the father of Yuvraj Singh publicly condemned Dhoni. He charged the old India captain with remaining quiet on purpose and ruining the careers of some of the largest Indian names.
“It is not only about Irfan Pathan. You see Gautam Gambhir speaking about it. Virender Sehwag openly said about it as well. Harbhajan Singh spoke about how he was put out of the team like a fly. You should arrange a jury on why he did what he did. MS Dhoni doesn’t want to answer. One who doesn’t want to answer has a guilty conscience,” Yograj told InsideSport.
When Yograj referred to players like Gambhir, Sehwag, Harbhajan and Pathan, it implied that Dhoni would be at loggerheads with a few experienced members of the team due to his leadership style.
Dhoni was not the only one that Yograj stopped. He took it further and stated that Indian cricket had a record of mistreatment of teammates by captains. He also gave Kapil Dev and Bishan Singh Bedi their names and was accused of ruining the spirit of their teams.
“I talk about Bishan Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni. I can talk about people whom I have been with. They have treated people like s**t. Jo galat hai wo galat hai. Two wrongs cannot make one right. I say this openly, that our cricketers and team were destroyed by our captain.”
The powerful terms provided an extra dose of controversy and provoked discussions both in social networks and in the world of cricket.
Although Dhoni has remained silent so far, Irfan Pathan has already provided his clarification on X earlier this week. He complained that his remarks were being twisted.
“Half decade old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the statement. Fan war? PR lobby?” Pathan made a post, dissociating himself with the new wave of criticism being leveled against Dhoni.
The episode has revived the old controversy on the captaincy style of Dhoni and his rapport with the senior cricketers. The hookah scandal has given the long list of Dhoni leadership stories another twist with the explosive comments of Yograj Singh.
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