Sports

The comments, meant to underscore Pathan’s focus on performance, have reignited curiosity about Dhoni’s leadership style—did he rely on personal rapport over performance? Memes swiftly flooded social media, with users mocking the notion that “hookah setups” could dictate team dynamics. Witty posts imagined teammates setting up hookah for Dhoni or being benched for refusing—it was satire, but with an undercurrent of serious reflection on favoritism in team selection.

This isn’t the first time Dhoni’s hookah habit became viral fodder. In early 2024, a video showing him smoking hookah at a public event stirred debate—some defended it as a personal pastime, others saw it as at odds with his disciplined image. That clip resurfaced amid the latest meme storm, fueling a fresh wave of commentary. Even former Australia skipper George Bailey had once noted Dhoni’s relaxed, open-door hookah sessions with younger teammates—further solidifying the image of Dhoni as both a leader and a unifier. 

Reactions have been divided. Fans loyal to Dhoni argue that personal habits shouldn’t undermine his cricketing legacy—after all, Dhoni led India to triumphs in the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. Others see the hookah remark as a clever metaphor for implicit team hierarchies—structured, perhaps, but intangible.

what started as an off-hand line in a forgotten interview has morphed into a meme-laden flashpoint on team culture, leadership, and legacy. At stake is how fans—and players—remember Dhoni—not just as Captain Cool, but as someone whose bonds with teammates sometimes went beyond the boundary rope.