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 accused Dhoni of favouritism, as he was 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.
Reacting to Pathan’s allegations on Dhoni, former India opener Aakash Chopra made an interesting point, suggesting that a successful captain cannot be influenced solely on one parameter while selecting players.
"You want to pick your best team. But if you have seen someone more in front of you and playing under pressure, you move towards them, and that is normal. You will see that players from where the coach or captain are would be preferred more. That is not bias, not favoritism. It is just the fact that they have spent more time with them," said Chopra in a YouTube video posted by Crex.
Chopra further stated that a captain's job is to pick a team that can produce desirable result, instead of pleasing individuals.
"Beyond that, what happens in one room, how many people sit, how many don't, I don't think a successful captain worth his salt is going to get influenced by that factor. At the end he has to pick a team that can win and players who can take him to that destination. So there is a lot riding on the captain's shoulders and the stakes are high. I don't think that if someone does not spend more time with the captain, they would be adversely treated or dropped," he added.
