Munaf Patel also talked about the 2011 World Cup win.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan's remarks, which said that Dhoni favored players who took part in his off-field hookah sessions, sparked the uproar.
MS Dhoni was initially chosen by Munaf Patel as a good captain because he allowed bowlers to make their own decisions. Regarding the controversy, he questioned why the former cricket players only voiced their opinions after retiring.
"Dhoni was a good captain among Indians. He used to let me do my work. Plan A would be mine. If it did not work, then he would give Plan B. It was very simple. People talk a lot about him now. If you were true, you could have spoken back then. Now, after retiring, you can tell anything, but there is no point. You are just increasing your followers or putting him down. Has he even replied to anyone till today? Imagine what would happen if he opened his mouth. His silence is his answer. He is not talking about anything; that is why he is Dhoni. You are sitting at home and making money from talking, so you tell anything," Munaf expressed during a conversation with sports journalist Vimal Kumar.
Munaf went on to say that he and several other Indian players were never required to take part in the hookah sessions. He asked the commenters why they took part when many members of the same squad did not.
"You were making hookah yourself, right? Why were you making it then? People have this issue that they have to go to his room and make hookah. If you had that self-respect, you should not have gone. Munaf Patel and Gautam Gambhir never did that. Ishant Sharma, Virender Sehwag, and Sachin Tendulkar never did that. Why are you fighting now for it?” he added.
MS Dhoni remains one of India’s most successful captains and the only one to win all three white-ball ICC trophies to date.
Munaf Patel stated that winning the 2011 World Cup was one of the highlights of his career. Furthermore, he mentioned that winning it for Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai made it even more special.
Munaf was India's third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, taking 11 wickets in eight games at an economy rate of 5.36 and top figures of 4/48.
"The World Cup was special for me. It was the last one for a lot of us. It became the last one, which is a different thing. But we had the feeling that it was Sachin's last World Cup, and we won it, that too in Mumbai. I cannot forget that. There were legends in that dressing room, and that atmosphere is still in front of my eyes, and I can never forget those moments,” Patel added.