Overview
- In an InsideSport interview, the former India batter said he witnessed rooms where hookah was used and only players close to the captain gathered there.
- Tiwary said some teammates "buttered" the skipper to seek help with opportunities and added that attendance at such gatherings was not compulsory.
- The comments follow a resurfaced five-year-old video of Irfan Pathan alleging that selection favoured members of a Dhoni "hookah gang."
- News reports also cite other former players, including Yograj Singh, who have criticized selection practices from that era as prone to favouritism.
- Coverage highlights Tiwary’s brief international stint—12 ODIs and three T20Is, including an ODI century—which is frequently referenced in debates over selection.