Earlier this week, an old video of Irfan Pathan taking a dig at the legendary MS Dhoni took the internet by storm. In the clip, the former all-rounder can be seen commenting on the circumstances leading to his exclusion from the Indian cricket team.

Pathan’s last appearance for India was in 2012, despite claiming a five-wicket haul in what turned out to be his final ODI. While the exact reasons behind his snub are only known to the selectors and team management, then-skipper Dhoni reportedly had a role to play in the poor handling of the all-rounder.

As the footage of Pathan’s old interview—recorded five years ago—emerged on social media, many fans started linking it to Dhoni.

Irfan Pathan can be heard saying in the video that he doesn’t have a habit of going to someone’s room and setting up their hookah for them. The remarks quickly went viral, with netizens perceiving that Pathan was accusing Dhoni of favouritism.

Speaking to Inside Sport, former India cricketer Yograj Singh, known for being Dhoni’s stern critic, offered his perspective on Pathan’s comments.

“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 said.

Yograj went on claim that Dhoni alongside Kapil Dev and Bishan Singh Bedi treat people like “shit.”

“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 shit. 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,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan on Wednesday (September 3) hinted at possible PR agendas and fan wars as the driving force behind the sudden reappearance of his video.

"Half-decade-old video surfacing NOW with a twisted context to the statement. Fan war? PR lobby?" Pathan wrote on X.