'Players who were closer to the captain...': MS Dhoni's former teammate reignites 'hookah controversy' with stunning revelation

Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary reignited the 'hookah controversy' involving MS Dhoni by sharing that during his playing days, there were multiple players in the team who consumed hookah. He backed the claims that Irfan Pathan made in a video years ago and revealed that there was a room where hookah sessions were held and the players who were close to Dhoni were the only ones present.

The 'hookah controversy' has become quite a debated topic as of recent with multiple former India cricketers sharing their takes on the matter. Now Tiwary has made even stronger claims than the others and has also stated that many players would side with the captain in such activities in order to cement their place in India's playing XI.

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“We have seen from close quarters. There were sessions where Hookah was taken and players who were closer to the captain were present in the room. Players were very smart enough to make sure that some buttering was done to get help from the captain if required," Tiwary said while speaking to InsideSport.

“It wasn’t compulsory for anyone to be there and only the players who knew that the room was open for Hookah, those are the players who used to go. The players were smart enough to know who was within close quarters with the captain at that point in time," he added.

Tiwary further revealed that consuming hookah was open for every player in the team and it was a thing that everyone in the side knew about very well.

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“Slowly, slowly, when the discussions come out of the room the following day, then only the others get to know. It wasn’t restricted; it was open, but it wasn’t something that was open for everyone; it wasn’t as if cards were sent to everyone," Tiwary stated.

Tiwary's short international career

Meanwhile, Tiwary played a total of 12 ODIs and 3 T20Is in his international career before announcing his retirement. Notably, he scored a brilliant century against West Indies in his sixth apperanace in the format, however was soon dropped from the team for unknown reasons and never managed to make a comeback.