‘Hookah lagayega?’: Memes galore as Pathan hints Dhoni picked player who set up hookah for him

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has once again made fans talk about his alleged rift with ex-India captain MS Dhoni after an old interview clip of his started going viral on social media. In the video, Irfan spoke about his time under Dhoni and also gave a cryptic comment that fans are now linking with hookah memes all over the internet.

Irfan, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2020, was dropped from Team India in 2012, when MS Dhoni was the captain across all formats. Even though the real reason behind his omission is unknown, many accuse Dhoni of not handling him well. In the old video that is now going viral, Irfan opened up about his situation and also made an explosive remark apparently directed at Dhoni.

Speaking to SportsTak, Irfan said he once asked Dhoni in 2008 about a report in the media that claimed that Dhoni was unhappy with his bowling. But when Pathan went directly to Dhoni, the captain denied it and told him everything was fine. Pathan added that if a player keeps asking for explanations again and again, it can hurt his self-respect, so he left it there.

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“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,” Irfan said.

The most talked-about part came when Pathan said he is not the kind of player who would set up hookah in “someone’s room” just to please him. “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,” Irfan said.

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Netizens share fun memes

This remark was enough for social media to explode with jokes and memes. Fans started guessing who Pathan was hinting at and also shared fun posts. While Irfan didn’t take any names, fans believe that it is former India skipper MS Dhoni, whose videos of smoking hookah had gone viral a few years ago.

Dhoni after dropping players who refused to set up hookah for him.
pic.twitter.com/1XF6toGfe9

— MAHIYANK™ (@Mahiyank_78) September 2, 2025

How dhoni felt after setting hookah by players 🥵pic.twitter.com/5qcS7SCnzZ

— Smrutisikha Rath (@SmrutisikhaR) September 2, 2025

Team India selection process by MS Dhoni according to Irfan Pathan 😭#Hookah pic.twitter.com/MLfFMQSgPd

— Shree Ethan Hunt ji (@Appoplexiian) September 2, 2025

Waiting for the biopic:
MS Dhoni – The Untold Hookah Story
Directed by irfan pathan #ComingSoon #dhoni #irfanpathan
(Btw irfan pathan always a hookha politician) pic.twitter.com/hx72890ePe

— 0 GRAVITY (@feel0GRAVITY) September 2, 2025

#IrfanPathan #Dhoni

According to Irfan Pathan 🤣
Dhoni when it's time to: pic.twitter.com/yVU000CbNB

— Neha (@nneha04) September 2, 2025

Ms Dhoni according to Irfan Pathan pic.twitter.com/WWCFpfc2ys

— 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁 (@DilSeMemes) September 2, 2025

After going through the hilarious memes, all we can say is that the internet surely knows how to make the most of a controversy.