Rishabh Pant and former Indian skipper MS Dhoni were recently caught having a good time with their friends, and a video of the celebration has gone viral. The clip captures the two wicketkeeper-batters dancing and having fun after India's Test series win over Sri Lanka.
While the friendly gathering of Pant and Dhoni was a heartwarming sight for many cricket lovers, one comment that appeared on the clip stirred the online community, with some speculating that Dhoni has an addiction to hookah. One can hear Dhoni walking up to Pant and whispering a few words in his ear before he says, “Jara hookah peeke aata hu” (I'll go and smoke hookah).
George Bailey's Past Comments on MS Dhoni's Hookah Sessions
Rishab pic.twitter.com/M93dlPsGwF
— 𝗦💛 (@mostlydhoni78) September 2, 2026
The quip led fans to remember remarks made by former Australia captain George Bailey about Dhoni's laid-back attitude towards his own use of the hookah in his playing days. Bailey had spoken of Dhoni's room being a popular hangout for younger players.
“He likes smoking a bit of the sheesha or the hookah,” Bailey had said. “So, he quite often would set that up in his room, and it was very much an open-door policy. You would go in and quite often find a lot of younger players there.”
However, the identity of the person making the quip in the viral video could not be independently confirmed, and there is no indication that it was made by Dhoni or that he was referring to himself. The fans quickly associated the moment with Bailey's earlier comments and previous chatter about Dhoni's alleged preference for hookah.
Pant has recently stood out for India during their Test tour of Sri Lanka. India clinched the two-match series 1-0 as a result of the win in the opening Test at Galle, after the second Test ended in a draw following an incredible display of determination from Sri Lanka after they were forced to follow on.
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In the second Test, Pant also passed Dhoni in the record books to become India's highest run-scorer as a designated wicketkeeper in away or neutral Tests.
The left-hander has now notched up 2,534 runs at an average of over 41, surpassing Dhoni's score of 2,496. Farokh Engineer, Syed Kirmani and Kiran More follow in the next three spots on the list.
Pant also passed former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist to become the third-highest six-hitter in Test cricket, another milestone he has added to his record-breaking collection.
While the viral video has garnered a fair amount of online chatter, the reunion has allowed fans to see the camaraderie between generations of India's wicketkeeping stars. However, the hookah-related speculation is unsubstantiated, with no reliable confirmation of who commented heard in the clip.